Final Perception - Surface Tension

Final Perception

Surface Tension
self-released; 2016

3.5 out of 5

By Ted Rogen

Vincent McConnell (vocals), Austin Roknian (guitar) and Sean O'Flaherty (various I\instruments) are Final Perception. The band that formed in 2014 recently released Surface Tension. This is a very good album that seems to derive most of its influence from post-punk.

Before we go any further I have to mention the production. It’s a little bit above demo quality and is quite fitting. That being said I have never heard a snare drum that on the majority of the songs is this loud compared to everything else in the mix. It’s quite baffling and not only masks every other instrument including the vocals but doesn't let you crank the music. It seems like an innocuous concern but after about three songs all I could hear was the snare drum. 

Musically, I enjoyed everything that was going on. I think the most overt influence is Joy Division. You can clearly hear some Ian Curtis in the vocals on a number of songs. They open with “Addiction” which is a great song. The vocals are especially catchy and the instrumental work is simple yet effective. This could be the band's single if it gets remixed.

The band continues with a number of solid songs. “Transient” could easily be played back in the ’70’s during CBGB’s glory days while “Inside My Mind” is damn near anthemic. The consistency of the songwriting is solid and I really have no complaints about these post-punk inspired tunes from a creative or technical perspective. 

​“Thoughts From Beyond’ is a highlight amongst the batch. The song has a bit of an early Smashing Pumpkins which I can’t help but appreciate. For whatever reason the snare level on  the last two songs wasn’t so overwhelming which made the songs easier to enjoy.

Final Perception is a good band that have the potential to be a great band. I don’t mean to hark on the snare but if I could give this band one piece of advice it would be to bring the snare drum down about 5 - 6 dbs on most of these songs. Other than that I hope to hear more from this young talented band that give a tip of the hat to a great era in music.

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