Alt/pop/rock
The first line of this review was going to read, 'some really decent pop-rock tunes on offer, however an oddly disjointed feel makes "Dying To Confess" a mixed bag' however, on a second listen the album begins to grow on you and a change of heart ensued...The album opens with 'What's Happening', an electro beat starts the track and immediately you're left hoping it doesn't turn into a Linkin Park-alike album, but luckily, nothing of the sort happens, instead it feels far more influenced by alt-rock with some interesting and surprisingly complex riffs and the keys are used more effectively than was hinted at initially giving a blend of poppy melodies and chunky guitars.
Influences seem to come from many different directions which is why initially the album can feel slightly disjointed at times as the band tries to showcase as many elements of their sound as they can on this debut full-length; indie, emo, pop-rock and alt-rock all vie for pole position, however as you listen it starts to feel more cohesive.
Ben Sellers boyish vocals fit the more poppy tracks like 'Turn Into Somebody Else' but sometimes you yearn for something more hard hitting and it would be nice to have a bit more variety with some gruffer or more gravelly backing, especially on the more interesting or heavier tracks like 'In Control (Of Not Being In Control)' as they often provide a nice dose of chunky guitars with complex riffs. There's obviously plenty of solid talent behind each tune though and overall it's a solid debut album of fiddly, complex and chunky riffs meet pop melodies.