Spacebear - ​Straight For The Sun

Spacebear

​Straight For The Sun
self-released; 2015

3.4 out of 5

By Ted Rogen
​

Kyle Lanter (vocals/guitar/piano), Luis Fermin (drums) and Jamie Ferrini (bass) are Spacebear. The band, which formed in 2014, plays high-energy rock songs but also throw in a couple of deviations along the way on their album Straight for the Sun.

The band gets moving out of the gate with the adrenaline pumping “Without You.” It wasn’t my favorite song on the album because there were times I was reminded of Nickelback during the chorus. The production and recording is great and the best moments come around the two- minute-mark where there is an impressive guitar action. 

One of the highlights is “Echoes Of Sunday” which I wished was a style they attempted more instead of the more commercial hard rock angle of the other songs. The verse is excellent and revolves around a creative bass line, piano, drums and vocals. Instead of running with the jazzy almost lounge-y vibe they plow into another heavy chorus. 

There are some inspired moments on “Electric Sheep.” Similar to “Echoes Of Sunday” the most original, inventive moments happen during the verse. I was impressed and reminded of Queens of the Stone Age when they rock out on this album. 

“Hopes Gone” is fairly straightforward which seems to follow a similar formula of keeping the verse creative and rocking out on the chorus. 

The biggest issue this band faces is following a similar formula to their songs. The soft verse followed by a loud chorus becomes too predictable after you hear it time and time again. Another issue I can foresee is that the band resides somewhere in between complete commercial viability or something more suited for the underground. It’s extremely rare for the band to be accepted in both spheres. If the band can refine their sound while also exploring other types of structure within their music they should be well on their way.

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