Automatic Loveletter – Truth or Dare

I suck at writing positive music reviews. I’m only really good at absolutely slating something into the ground; I suppose that’s because I’ve had more practice at insults than I have at compliments, which is a little worrying for my eternal soul, but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. As such, this review for Automatic Loveletter‘s Truth or Dare is going to be absolutely shit, which is a good thing for them, but not a good thing for you. Sorry.

This album is REALLY good. Juliet Simms has a really amazing, raw voice. She probably doesn’t have the range of Hayley Williams, or the rock steady control of her voice, but it’s more edgy and rough, which is sounds brilliant. If you like big ballads which break into powerful, emotional choruses then you’ll love this album. It’s full of the type of songs that make your skin prickle when it gets to the chorus. I think that’s the best way of explaining it.

I have to admit, having been a massive fan of their EP Recover, I was expecting big things, because I felt that they had a bigger range of songs than they show on this album. It’s lacking a truly stripped down, vulnerable song, which is perfect for Simms’ voice, which can be seen from her work on All Time Low‘s Remembering Sunday. Previously, the song Hush delivered on that aspect, but its reincarnation on this album has resulted in something far more slick in its production, which takes away from the overall impact of the song and its lyrics. Having said that, I still love the song, but I think that the old version had a bigger impact. I also think that they could stand to have a few songs that are a bit harder in their sound or a bit more upbeat, because again this would suit her voice, and would add another dimension.

Despite that, there are still so many brilliant songs on the album. The opening track Heart Song is fantastic and powerful, which shows off the less melodic and more rock-driven side to the band. It’s a brilliant, lively start to the album. Hush still stands out as a brilliant song, and is followed by Story of My Life, which is a truly fantastic song with a chorus that I’m hooked on. The Day That Saved Us is also a very good track, but I think with a lot of the tracks I forget the verses and it’s only the choruses where they really shine. The album ends on a fantastic note though, with Back To Life, which is a beautiful track.

Songs to Google
(…or Youtube?)

• Heart Song
• Hush (new and old though, so you can hear the difference)
• Story Of My Life
• The Day That Saved Us
• To Die For (even if part of it sounds massively like Boys Like Girls’ Five Seconds to Midnight)
• My Goodbye
• Back To Life

Overall, I think that Truth Or Dare is a fantastic album. If I hadn’t had prior expectations based on what I already had heard of the band then I think I would have liked the album even more. I think that it’s a great debut, but that they are capable of being absolutely outstanding. Even so I would definitely recommend buying this album, and Automatic Loveletter are clearly going to be big.