Handguns' latest release, Disenchanted, is an underwhelming set of relatively generic pop-punk songs riddled with so many exhausted clichés, both lyrically and compositionally, that it's difficult to take seriously.
Many bands within the genre have found ways to add new levels of dynamism and atmosphere to their music over the years, but Handguns seem to be stuck in a rut. Songs on the record are nearly indistinguishable from one another because of the repetitive pacing and song structure, and the band don't seem to have evolved much, if at all, since their previous releases.
Vocalist Taylor Eby sounds especially awkward on the verses of "My Lowest Point" and "Low Spirits" consecutively, undercutting any momentum built by the instrumentals with his unconvincing whine. Handguns make a slight comeback on the aptly titled album closer "Recovery," where Eby finds some more grit in his voice and the bouncy rhythm carries the song nicely, it's not enough to save Disenchanted from remaining thoroughly mediocre.
(Pure Noise Records)Many bands within the genre have found ways to add new levels of dynamism and atmosphere to their music over the years, but Handguns seem to be stuck in a rut. Songs on the record are nearly indistinguishable from one another because of the repetitive pacing and song structure, and the band don't seem to have evolved much, if at all, since their previous releases.
Vocalist Taylor Eby sounds especially awkward on the verses of "My Lowest Point" and "Low Spirits" consecutively, undercutting any momentum built by the instrumentals with his unconvincing whine. Handguns make a slight comeback on the aptly titled album closer "Recovery," where Eby finds some more grit in his voice and the bouncy rhythm carries the song nicely, it's not enough to save Disenchanted from remaining thoroughly mediocre.
