High School, the six-track experiment from Kelowna-based band We Are The City, takes you into the lives of the members’ high schools days.
It’s one part bubblegum, one part young love and one part nostalgia. The album explores stories of love, rejection and all manner of things one can remember from their high school days. It’s a bit of a departure from their previous releases– tracks move from upbeat pop-rock to slower musical explorations and although the transition is not necessarily unpleasant, the pacing is a little odd. Individually, the songs are strong, but parts of the album, like “Happy New Year,” feel strangely out of place.
That said, the opening drum sequence on “Get Happy” would get the feet of even the most stoic listener tapping and the aforementioned “Happy New Year” is extremely catchy and a great tune. However, the gulf between these two songs and album closers like “An Angel in White” is just too large and it feels like the band is being torn in two different– albeit extraordinarily interesting– directions.
Hopefully the band can find their footing with their next release. High School offers glimpses of something great.