20 Cent Dreams - 'Generations' EP Review

Tracklist:

1. Alive

2. White Flags

3. Beyond Reason

4. Motion

5. Hurricane

So presented to me today is the new EP 'Generations' from London based trio 20 Cent Dreams. An unknown to myself but a band that have caught my attention, even if their release is somewhat of a mixed bag.

The EP's opening track 'Alive' is incredibly catchy, it hooks you in instantly and begs you to sing along. With interesting time signatures and gang vocals it presents itself as a great intro to what these guys have on offer.

That's why second track 'White Flags' and third 'Beyond Reason' are a little disappointing. The strength of the EP's opener fizzles away quickly and what followers is definitely the two weakest tracks. They sadly don't offer up anything that hasn't been done before and better, and having already seen what they are capable of, straight off the bat these 2 tracks certainly feel like filler.

As I am starting to lose my high for 20 Cent Dreams they hit back with 'Motion', a beautifully structured song full of melody and the same interesting signatures and sing along chorus that they opened with. We then finish with my favourite song of the EP, 'Hurricane'. This is a slow burner that builds and builds with an almost haunting presence into a big finish, a brilliant way to end.

It's really hard to figure out where these guys belong. Penned as Pop Rock they have Indie sounding tendencies seeping into their sound which I believe is creating a bit of confusion for the listener. While genre hopping is not always a bad thing and drawing influence from different areas of music has its qualities, I don't think in this instance it's needed. But as releases go it is by no means bad. With 3 of the 5 songs giving an insight into the direction I believe they are heading, they just need to find a stronger footing. With tracks like 'Alive and 'Hurricane' in their arsenal I can see a bright future for 20 Cent Dreams they just need to find consistency in their sound.

Stand Out Tracks: Hurricane, Alive