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Doctor's Order: don't forget to take your iron(y)

Heavy distortion paired with lazy vocals suggest a Death Cab for Cutie influence on Lakeherst’s debut album Euan Aura. The overall sound is interesting, although perhaps familiar.

“Summer Fires” is a standout with an added female vocalist. The beginning of “Fall Back to Me” opens with solid drum set-up and a driving electric guitar, but can’t overcome their own lyrics. They are just a tad too literal; a dash of irony could pull the whole thing together. This is the case for many of the songs on the album. They are pleasing musically, as the sound is tight and accessible, especially on songs like “Messages across the Waves” and “The Bad Sleep Well.” But lyrics like “The ocean is our messenger/destination we don’t know/we’ll watch our words get swept away/by the undertow” threaten to spoil the forceful guitar solo that follows on “Messages across the Waves.”

The last half of the album is notably better than the first, as the lyrics fade behind the heavy percussion and solid guitar licks. In places, these two qualities are reminiscent of  Blink-182.

As a debut, Euan Aura is worth its weight in shiny round plastic material, and at least four of the songs will make their way into my music library for further enjoyment. Lakeherst has a musical talent (and a really lovely cover, done by their own Cody Moyer). With some attention to lyrics, they could make an impact.

Songs you shouldn’t ignore: “The Bad Sleep Well,” “Don’t Walk Around Barefoot,” “No Protection in Silence”