The debut album of Westchester/SUNY purchase based alternative rock outfit BATES is an ambitious 12 track, 53-minute bluesy alternative rock release, which although not perfect (as nothing is) makes for a good listen by a local band that deserves to be supported. 
The songwriting delivers the crunchy guitar riffs and driving drums normally associated with alternative rock, along with the catchy melodies that create a successful alternative rock record. It starts strong with “Take it All,” more specifically with a buildup and explosion into a riff that sets the tone for the rest of the record. The bass and drums are tight, the guitar work is on point, and the vocal delivery is impressive as well. The performances by BATES on their self-titled debut are very good.
The vocal delivery, however, despite being done well, is not without issue. Some of the lyrics are a bit cliché and fail to draw an emotional response mostly due to being tropes I’ve heard before in a lot of other alternative rock releases. I also think the singing style is a bit dramatic, and almost heavy metal-esque (think Iron Maiden or Judas Priest), which sometimes draws attention away from or otherwise is out of place with the bluesy and alt-rocky music behind it. It is also a bit too loud relative to the instrumentals, contributing to its overshadowing of some of the music. In parts for example, the first three songs, it’s really effective and develops a definitive sound for the band. In some songs, such as “Around the Sun,” the vocals take over.
The production/mixing/mastering on the record is also very clean, although not perfect (and could stand to be more adventurous), as sometimes the drums and bass could stand to be more present, particularly the kick drum, in songs like “Catch-22” and “Around the Sun.” These songs, and the record as a whole, suffer from this lack of bottom that makes some of the heavier riffs and grooves, which while played well by the band’s rhythm section, less impactful. In contrast to this, the guitars on the record sound good. They’re plenty loud, fitting the genre, as expected from such a guitar heavy band. The tone and effects of the guitars never seem off or out of place throughout the record. This is especially easy to hear in “Ticket to Nowhere,” where the bands ambitious use of effects makes for one of the best songs on the record.This makes the record sound very professional, which is a positive for sure.
Overall, the performances by BATES on their self-titled debut are very good. With tight performances, good mastering, and a good song-to-song flow. However, in my opinion too clean a sound can take some of the edge away from alternative rock releases that could really use a more gritty and rough sound to separate them from a lot of the alternative rock coming out now.
BATES does take a step out of conventional songwriting from time to time on this release, which not only is an admirable decision, but is executed quite well. Especially in the context of a fairly straightforward alternative rock release, parts like the ambient/jammy ending of “They Were The Ones” and the acoustic, western sounding intro to “Heart Grenade,” stick out as a tasteful, well done stepping outside of the box, and don’t feel forced in to add variety, as is a common problem on releases like this one.
All in all, I’d say BATES did well for such an ambitious first release. It’s long, has variety, and is definitely worth listening for those who like catchy alternative rock with a bit of a bluesy twist in some parts.
Bio: Pete’s two Cents!
Hi! My name is Pete Kline, and I’m a recent Binghamton University graduate with a BA in English, with a focus on creative writing. I’m also an avid music lover and an active musician, and love playing both locally and non-locally! It’s been a dream of mine for a while to start writing music review, and with my degree and my love and experience with music I finally feel qualified to do it! So that’s what this blog will be. Reviews of Albums, Music Videos, Live Shows, or anything else music related (and there may be some other really cool non-review content down the road). As a disclaimer: everything I write here is just an opinion, you may feel free to agree or disagree. It’s just my two cents, so to speak.
