Sound of Curves - Gone Gatsby

Sound of Curves

Gone Gatsby
self-released; 2016

3.3 out of 5

By Matt Jensen

Leonel Pompa (vocals/guitar/keys), Roger Maher (vocals/bass), Josh Leija (drums) and Aaron Montano (guitar) are Sound of Curves.

Sound of Curves is a band that seems to be throwing everything they have heard that they think will get some traction on a wall and seeing what will stick. Their amalgamation of styles seems to in one way or another reinforce popular tropes we have heard in mainstream music for the last fifteen years. 

Everything from Coldplay to Passion Pit to anything in between seems to be embedded within the songs. They even do the popular background vocal harmonies melody that I read about that seems to be ubiquitous amongst commercial radio.

On their release Gone Gatsby, they open with "Galaxy" which right away reminded me of fifteen different artists and had elements of pop-punk to electronic. That guitar riff is flashy, clean and reminded me of a song by the band Phoenix. The production effects like splicing up the vocals did little to enhance the song and in fact takes away from the emotional core of the music. 

As the album progresses the songs all shout single. Songs like “Summer Radio” and “Disco” have some of their catchiest moments. Another standout is “Waves.”

I'm sure the members have good intentions but it feels blatantly obvious to me that the band is mimicking the most commercial viable style instead of forging to find their own. I promise you that if you a hear a sound, song or four-note repetition that is popular you are already too late. By the time you hear it it's already passé and has been played by a thousand of other bands.

Don’t get me wrong this band is talented in a number of ways. They are all quite good when it comes to technical talent and delivery. I just think they could benefit from some more experimentation, out of the box thinking and digging deep to figure out how they can stand out from the crowd.

​If you haven't been living in a cave you will find the music on Gone Gatsby familiar in some form or another. This is an album that can be enjoyed by a large demographic and less so by anyone who explores the fringe.

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