Small Town Records’ rising stars Violet are set to have quite a year. They are contenders in the 2012 Red Bull bedroom jam and are getting set to release The Brightside, their debut EP on the 16th of April.
Now, before we start, I know 8 tracks is a bit of a stretch for an EP, but they get round this by saying it’s 5 “main” tracks and three “bonus” tracks.
Nope, no idea why.
Violet formed in 2007, and have plugged away tirelessly to make a name for themselves in the overcrowded yoof pop-punk-harcdore market, with a fair degree of success.
The EP kicks off with the title track, and it’s immediately apparent that, although they certainly aren’t bringing anything much new to the table, what they lack in originality they make up for in infectious, bouncy energy. The big guitar sound, the frenetic pace and the (admittedly done to death) hardcore dual vocals certainly set a raucous mood that doesn’t ever let up.
There are hints on this release that Violet are prepared to stretch the genre conventions and bring in some fresh influences, impressive dual guitar melodies and a surprisingly deft use of keyboards give everything an extra edge, but for me there’s just not enough to make things really memorable. It certainly does have it’s moments, check out the impressive Perspectives where everything comes together really well, but overall it’s not always quite enough to really lift Violet above the rest of the field and make the tunes stick around in your head.
Having listened to this a few times, I thing it’s a definite case of less could have been very much more. There’s a killer 4-track EP struggling to get out here, but there just aren’t enough ideas to fill 8 tracks. That’s not to say that it’s bad by any stretch of the imagination. It’s well written, well played, well produced, but ultimately just a bit too familiar.
But then I hardly think I’m their target demographic 
How successful Violet are will depend on how well this is marketed towards the Kerrang / Warped Tour generation. If they can get heard over the noise of a thousand other wannabes then there is no doubt that Violet do have the tools to be a big success in that market.
And I have no doubt there will be many a floppy fringed teen hailing them as the best thing ever…
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