We Don't Always Have to be Machines is the debut EP from Orlando band Our Future Leaders. It doesn’t sound much like a debut release, it has much more depth than one would expect from a first recording, the five songs are complex, rich in layers of various musical genres all while comfortably straddling the territory between classic and modern rock sounds.
Most bands that try to embrace so many different genres stumble miserably in an out-of-focus limbo, but not Our Future Leaders. Their varied genres and influences meld together harmoniously and appear not only sharply focused, but right on track.
The hard charging “Enemy” opens the EP with a prominent, searing guitar, which morphs throughout the song, at times dominating and other times blending smoothly with layered vocals. “Caliber” has a more Punk/Alternative sound with a fast, frenzied pace. The creamy vocals in “Kill the Youth” tempers the edgy music and gives the song a classic, psychedelic feel. In “Obtain” a classic tone spins around a Modern Rock sound in a swirling musical alliance. Closing the EP is the softer, “American Dream” with an acoustic guitar opening and velvety vocal layers drawing the listener along with the lyrical message “We offer up empty greetings and pointless banter / we don’t always have to be machines.”
The EP was recorded at Orlando’s Old Groove Studios and produced by Casey Daniel (of Seven Mary Three and NerVer). It was a great pairing, he did a terrific job with the band and their music.
We Don't Always Have to be Machines is an impressive debut; the five songs on it show a lot of diversity in the band’s sound. The EP is available at Amazon, CD Baby and iTunes.
Music fans can check out Our Future Leaders on their official site, Reverbnation, Twitter, and Facebook page.
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