Where did you first hear The Sounds? I heard the band far before I ever heard of the band, on a television commercial. Some might have first heard the group on a video game. No matter where you heard the band, your reaction was probably similar to mine and you probably thought they rocked. I put a little time into figuring out where the song came from and in no time I found the band and checked out some more of their initial release, Living In America. The craziness continued as I later saw Bam Margera support the band by wearing a hoodie bearing their name on an episode of his MTV show. Not bad for a little group from Helsingborg.

Dying To Say This To You starts off with the dramatic punch, “Song With A Mission;” an upbeat, hard-boiled, soul influenced rumble. There’s a connection between this and “Queen of Apologies,” which follows; the lyrics are amazingly simple, but are nonetheless hard to follow. It’s my belief that this reflects a sense of substantial depth within the meaning of the songs; a situation where “I think I know what it means, but I don’t want to say so because I might be wrong,” comes to mind.

A few mid to late ’80s influenced pop-rock songs follow before another key track, “Painted By Numbers” breaks out. Continuing the retro theme with its synth-driven bounce, it offers “I think I might know what that means, so here goes” lyrics; concerning the genuine hardship of being with someone who wants to change you. How far in left field is that? It’s after “…Numbers” that the album seems to fade away however. What brings this album power is its mix of vivid, colorful tones mixed with a deeper, powerful rock. The later tracks lack the power and don’t offer much past an homage to a retro pop/rock sound. But the tracks that rock are strong and serve as a great snapshot of The Sounds.

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