The Audition - Self-titled album

The alt-rock outsiders of The Audition come back only one year after the release of their second album 'Champion', with a promotion boosted by the shivery clothing brand Glamour Kills (which created the incredibly creative artwork) and the presence of Mark Trombino (Blink-182, Finch, Jimmy Eat World) as producer.

The first good point is the improvement of Danny Steven's vocals. His frontman's status suit him perfectly now, leading his band confidently on stage as well as in the studio. Notes are held and his voice has a certain groove that it's hard to ignore. Hits are here too: 'My temperature is rising', the first single, sexy-oriented (it seems like an habit, as the previous album's one was called 'Warm me up') with a dancing beat and a catchy chorus and the slightly more aggressive 'The running man'. Other good song, 'Sign. Steal. Deliver.' closes the album on a more original note, letting the musicians express themselves more.
The rest is quickly summed up. 'The way you move' sounds much like 90's rock, 'It's gonna be hard (When I'm gone)' is the typical US rock ballad heard hundreds of times whereas 'Los Angeles' reminds Taking Back Sunday's modern rock. The whole is catchy, upbeat, poppier and well produced. Trombino seems to have focused more on the band's sound quality than on their ability to make the most of their musical potential.

The Audition undeniably have something different from all those sugary, Glamour Kills-labelled bands, not locking themseves in an easy pop-punk, but don't manage to emerge above the average. Lyrically, it stays mediocre and deja vu. The majority of the tracks having a strong «arena rock» appeal, there's however no doubt that 'Self-titled album' will be well received by all those who will go to see the band play.

3/5

Recommanded if you like:
Sugarcult, The All-American Rejects, Taking Back Sunday
Check also:
Envy On The Coast, Tonight Is Goodbye, The Graduate

www.myspace.com/theaudition
(Victory Records, 2009)