boyhitscar - 'The Passage'

Apparently this kind of music is called love-core. If there has to be a name for this rock, punk and eastern-style hippy fusion then that is as good as any. Unfortunately on 'The Passage' the blend of whimpering angst and spitting aggression is not quite right and much of the passion that made their debut album so powerful is completely lost. It's like they have taken all the bits that made 'boyhitscar' so energetic and exciting, and completely damped them down. There are hints of it here and there, for example the barely restrained tension on 'The Sound of a Breaking Heart', and the unexpectedly explosive 'All The Love We Hold Inside' but for the most part the fire is gone. That wild, wide-eyed and slightly deranged edge has been replaced with an uncomfortable amount of droney whining and whingeing. Although 'The Passage' is not necessarily utter shite - it does have it's redeeming features, especially for those who have never heard Boyhitscar before - there really is very little reason to listen to this album twice.....or even all the way through a first time.

3/7