Casino Thieves – The Quiet Road Home MCD (DIY)
I don\’t know where all these bands come from, there seems to be an endless supply of young bands that bang out the alt-rock post-hardcore thing, and what\’s more surprising, the quality is nearly always spot on. Enter Casino Thieves from South Wales and they sit comfortably amongst the other bands. This EP – their second release – features some confident songwriting that is matched with a great production and musicianship. They sit somewhere between the poppy punk sounds of You Me At Six and the neo-stadium rock of Foo Fighters , boasting big riffs that merge seamlessly with fragile melodies. EP closer \”Beautiful Lenses\” demonstrates a mellower sound to the band that works for me as the best tune on here which breaks the mold somewhat. As I mentioned at the start, there are so many bands plying this style these days that you need to absolutely stand out from the crowd (or have a clever management/ PR team behind you!) to get noticed, so although Casino Thieves have exactly the right sound and style, I\’m not sure if it is unique enough to push them ahead of the competition. Tom Chapman