The debut LP from Quebec City unit Boundaries is a mixed bag — at their best, they draw from fellow Canadian hardcore band Comeback Kid, with speedy riffing and at times a near identical vocal style, but their tonal inconsistency and general overproduction lends an air of disingenuousness to what they tout as bona fide hardcore.
Lackluster solo aside, "Lost Cause" is one of the few standouts here, paced well, and carried by catchy, Terror-esque riffing. "Speed Wobbles," despite its name alluding to being fast for the sake of it, actually feels more convincing and hits harder than any other song on this record. Where the band fall short are on songs like "Wet World" — an awkward ode to waterparks — or the first five seconds of "The Big Plan," with its onomatopoeic rendition of the opening riff, where the band make a real stretch at being playful or light-hearted, but only come off as cringe-worthy. Worse than this is "Something True" — the band's feeble anthem to naysayers — where their intention to plant their flag in the earth and loudly pronounce that they are in fact a hardcore band is so boring, blatant and transparent that it completely backfires and strips them of any credibility, in addition to being a rap-rock abomination the likes of which could keep Fred Durst himself awake at night.
Were Boundaries less obviously contrived and manufactured in their attitude and delivery they could have some real potential, but all Quarter Life Crisis accomplishes is coming off as a lukewarm counterfeit.
(Independent)Lackluster solo aside, "Lost Cause" is one of the few standouts here, paced well, and carried by catchy, Terror-esque riffing. "Speed Wobbles," despite its name alluding to being fast for the sake of it, actually feels more convincing and hits harder than any other song on this record. Where the band fall short are on songs like "Wet World" — an awkward ode to waterparks — or the first five seconds of "The Big Plan," with its onomatopoeic rendition of the opening riff, where the band make a real stretch at being playful or light-hearted, but only come off as cringe-worthy. Worse than this is "Something True" — the band's feeble anthem to naysayers — where their intention to plant their flag in the earth and loudly pronounce that they are in fact a hardcore band is so boring, blatant and transparent that it completely backfires and strips them of any credibility, in addition to being a rap-rock abomination the likes of which could keep Fred Durst himself awake at night.
Were Boundaries less obviously contrived and manufactured in their attitude and delivery they could have some real potential, but all Quarter Life Crisis accomplishes is coming off as a lukewarm counterfeit.
