Album Review: I See Stars - 'The End of the World Party'

It was only two years ago when I See Stars announced their arrival to the world with their debut record, 3-D. And with their sophomore release, The End of the World Party, the Michigan-based group have taken a light-hearted approach without abandoning their sound which has aided them snowballing in popularity. I’ve read that this band has been classed as post-hardcore, which I must protest to. Making use of scream vocals and a few misguided breakdowns doesn’t make you hardcore – at the very least, I’d class I See Stars as a somewhat confused pop-punk band whose work is spilling over with electronica vibes and party beats.

I don’t usually subscribe to, or really listen to, groups who tend to abuse keyboards and synthesizers but there is a quality in I See Stars that I was very surprised to find – catchiness. Catchiness is like gold to a punk group, if you can force listeners to tap their toes, or sing along, you’ve given yourself every chance to leave your mark.

I See Stars’ strength is in their lead vocalist, Devin Oliver, whose deceptively high range reminds me somewhat of a Cove Reber. Though, it’s hard to commend him with genuine praise when it’s so hard to gauge how much of his work is legitimate talent with auto-tune playing such a big part in their sound. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt, though – his vocal melodies are the saving grace for this album, and are already rattling around in my head with no immediate signs of leaving. I might need to invest in a plunger, perhaps?

The End of the World Party opens with the titular track which, despite being a fine track reminiscent of recent Escape the Fate efforts, is a bit of a misrepresentation of things to come. It’s a very chug-heavy song which promises things the rest of the album doesn’t deliver. That said – if you appreciate each song for what it is, you’re bound to find a few gems tucked away in the mix. The last third of the track “Still Not Quite Enough” is a genuinely well-written scrap of music that calls to mind Owl City and his use of electronica sounds – perhaps an undocumented influence for I See Stars. A case where the laden use of auto-tune somewhat pays off is during “Home for the Weekend”, arguably the catchiest song on the record. Oliver’s vocal melodies, albeit aided by computers, really put a stamp on the party theme to this record.

I See Stars also prove they have the chops to write genuine pop-rock tracks, not too dissimilar to bands like Saosin and Circa Survive, with “Glow” helping bookend the record – which they almost make it through without resorting to use of whacky, unnecessary effects.

The record runs at almost forty minutes but, if I’m being frank, I think a handful of the later tracks are simply making up numbers, which is a shame. I See Stars could have easily trimmed these dead-weight tracks to craft a brilliantly catchy pop-punk EP, but instead we’re left with a slightly above average full-length that wears out its welcome too soon.