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7 out of 10
When Tonight Is Goodbye unleashed "The Birds And The Bees EP" on the world it was full of rollicking rocky pop-punk that had them likened to the likes of The Starting Line, Punchline, Hit The Lights and Fall Out Boy, but on their 2008 follow-up, mini-album "Castles" they have taken a side-step into the world of cheery-indie instead. Becoming more akin to artists like Kids In Glass Houses or The Kooks as the fellas, Ant West (Vocals), Casey Roarty (Guitar), Callum Hawes (Guitar), Thomas Howe (Bass) and George Lindsay (Drums) mature (They had an average age of just 17 on their last release).
The vocals of Ant West are unashamedly British, the lilt of these Buckinghamshire residents is most certainly on the mockney side of things, listen to opener "Brain" and hear him sing the line "All the bo-oys and all the gi-irls" and you'll know exactly what I mean. Hell he even says "pick up the dog and bone", how more British do you want?
I wouldn't call Tonight Is Goodbye pop-punk at all anymore, I'd put them more in the vein of indie-pop and the whole of "Castes" as a mini-album is a summer hit waiting to happen. The wriggling guitar line and the slightly off-beat drumming on "Noughts And Crosses" makes the track a real foot-stomper and you can imagine it going down a real storm live with the crowd dancing around with the band. "Nobody Cares" is arguably their poppiest song, with the infectious chorus near enough forcing you to shake your stuff and embrace Tonight Is Goodbye.
The song to round off the CD is the title track "Castles" and although it doesn't end it all quite how I would have liked (I wanted a raucous party hit to leave it on a high) it does show a different facet to the band as it's pretty much a power-ballad with an epic drum smashing ending. Although Tonight Is Goodbye might not have created a mini-album with ever-lasting longevity they have altered their style in a seemingly natural way and created another really good release from an up and coming UK band. When a full-length album eventually surfaces I think they could be on to a real winner!
Listen: www.myspace.com/tonightisgoodbye
Tracklist:
1. Brain
2. Lucky Boy
3. Noughts And Crosses
4. Nobody Cares
5. Fire In The Hole
6. Castles
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