Don Broco - Automatic

Don Broco's Sophomore Effort May Be Catchy, It Lacks In Everything Else

Don Broco broke into the British mainstream back in 2012 with their début album 'Priorities', they were praised by critics and fans for their catchy, alt rock filled with heavy riffs and well polished instrumentals throughout. Although their début does deserve praise for those reasons, the album was just as generic as other bands in the genre (You Me At Six, Lower Than Atlantis) but also took a lot of influences from mainstream pop, with lyrics that lacked drive delivered soullessly by vocalist Rob Damiami. Negatives aside, this record has helped Don Broco gain a respectable fan base who are all casting an eye on them and their latest album 'Automatic'.

To sum 'Automatic' up simply, it's a horrific step back for a band who were never really going anywhere. Don Broco's latest album is flat, dull, uninspired and alienates a good portion of the bands initial following, almost completely ridding of their guitar driven alt rock, and trading it for synth beats, 80's funk vibes and even a few attempts at arena anthems, all of which fall heavily flat.

All songs feature infectiously catchy choruses, and even though this album is a pretty uninspiring attempt by Don Broco of moving away from their previous sound, the band show promise in their delivery in the more funk-orientated tracks on the album, especially the opening tracks 'Superlove' and 'Automatic' where Damiami's voice perfectly suits the style of music they deliver at the start of this album. What lets these tracks down, alongside all of this album, is the blatant commercialisation and radio-friendly precautions that the group have took, it makes the Bedford group look like they're trying way to hard to change, something many core fans of the group may not approve of.

I feel like the main redeeming factor about this album is Don Broco's determination to not stay as a run-of-the-mill alt rock group with a one dimensional sound. Even though their first attempt here with 'Automatic' is more of a step back than anything else, this can only be a sign of better things to come right?

3/10

/ POP ROCK / FUNK ROCK / R&B /

FAV TRACKS: - Automatic -

LEAST FAV TRACKS: - What You Do To Me - Nerve -