A mixture of music and passion delivered with a twist.
With a start to 'Sydney' that's standard enough to make you think this is all Halifax will produce, it's a relief when they move away from this and manage to show they have something else to offer. Sure enough they don't deviate much from the norm in this opening number with its guitar posed sound, but when they step into 'A Writer’s Reference' you can sense that there is a subtle difference in what this band are trying to produce. They make use of their guitar driven music in an intelligent way and are able to move through the varying beat of this number.
'I Hate Your Eyes' makes good use of the bands vocal skills and again they are playing a number that could disappear into the miasma of standard sounds, but they manage to raise their act enough to stay above it. The vocals are mature and match the rounded guitar solo well- great composition marks this number out. 'Broken Glass Syndrome' is more guitar driven than posed and this follows through with the rest of the number, great rhythm and sweat drenched drumming that sits inside your head. 'The Next Two Weeks' is disciplined and changes from 'beat me up rhythm' to 'hold me tight gasps'. 'Scarlet Letter Part II' is beautifully constructed and avoids the temptation to drift into a formulaic sound staying on course and produces an excellent number that brings you into a place that both the band and you have been and are willing to share with each other. There's a bonus track here and that is the acoustic version of 'Sydney'. Strangely enough this works better than the earlier version, releasing the caressing power of this bands' vocals. A love song to say you're sorry, this is one for anyone to pin their heart to.
This slight breaking of the mould is a brave probing into new things for a band that could easily stick to tried and tested formulas which offer nothing but a regulated blandness.