The Audition - Chapter II

Having parted with Victory Records since their last release, it feels that The Audition’s new EP is a statement of intent; one to prove they can make a mark without a label’s backing. Immediately, you can see they’re trying hard as ‘Who Do You Think You Are’ lures the listener in with catchy hooks steeped in heated lyrics – a theme that spans this entire release.

‘You Make Me Sick’ has an addictive chorus, a compliment which finds itself repeated in the following albeit more sinister track ‘Evil’. There’s a lot of versatility in Danny’s voice in these three tracks alone, with more subdued vocals contrasting against his more powerful and commanding moments. Fans of a rockier sound will likely gravitate towards ‘Back and Forth’, which simply feels bigger and more musically aggressive than others.

The final two songs continue in the same vein as the others in terms of their positives: they’re catchy and they change up the sound further. Having said that, they do lack a little bit of impact compared to the first half of the EP, but it’s far from a huge dip in quality.

This isn’t an earth shattering release, nor is it ground breaking. But, in terms of The Audition this displays their capability of developing their own sound in new directions. ‘Chapter II’ feels lyrically more bitter than you’d expect, but overall it thrives on bouncing beats, a mash of styles and big, catchy choruses. As for this being a statement: The Audition are just as good as they ever were, and this shows a lot of promise for their future releases.