Request: Copy Of A Copy - This is it

This French band from Toulouse contacted me to review their full-length debut, 'This it it'. After many line-up changes, the guys seem to have settled down and to be ready to spread their punk-rock to the masses.

As their name frankly suggests, Copy Of A Copy haven't invented anything. Don't look for groundbreaking compositions in this collection of fast, melodic punk songs with a tint of hardcore. You should rather expect good energy and sincere passion. For a quite young formation, the five French surprise by their mastery. There surely isn't any blowmindingly technical riff on this record, but it's certainly not what you want from a band like theirs. Still, the guitars are prominent and precise ('My last word', 'Summer'), one being quite heavy and the other one more melodic. The rhythm section isn't bad either, the bass isn't put aside ('Insomnia') and the drums provide some good moments ('Fake'). The production is also better than you would expect from a small punk band debut. The three tracks that composed their EP released last year have been integrated to the album with a better mix and the new singer's voice. The latter may be the least enjoyable thing about 'This is it', as the singer's hoarse vocals are rather repetitive and don't stand out like Strike Anywhere's Thomas Barnett's do, for instance. It is sometimes muffled, not only by the instruments, but also by the screams, good but too numerous (and sometimes surprisingly high-pitched), that accompany it. Yet, it doesn't prevent from appreciating the album's straightforwardness and dynamism. 'Black list' is a well-executed classic punk song that will warm up the coldest crowds and the 'Summer' closes the record on a slightly different touch with its great break.

'This is it' is a promising debut for a band that doesn't surprise by its originality and may end up swallowed up by the mass of the genre's bands but is however noticeable by its intensity and its control. Moreover, the album only being 8-tracks long, you won't get weary before its end.

3/5

Recommanded if you like:
No Trigger, Strike Anywhere, Good Riddance
Check also:
The Video Dead, Reason To Care, Smartbomb

www.myspace.com/copyofacopytheband
(What We Believe Records, 2009)