Minor Threat

Despite their tender age, Elliot Minor have had more than their fair share of detractors, and it’s hard to know whether to feel sorry for them.

On the one hand, it seems wrong to mock the York quintet – as many have done – for their classically trained, public school backgrounds.

However, it doesn’t take a genius to realise that touring with McFly won’t do your band any favours in the credibility department, and their immaculately groomed/styled image probably doesn’t help either. After all, there are too many bands these days, who look (and sound) like they spend more time in Toni & Guy than in the studio.

A moot point, and one best swept aside to focus on what matters most – the music. Elliot Minor aim to fuse the classical influences of their schooldays with punchy pop-rock anthems; an interesting idea, for sure, but the reality is something of a mixed bag.

There’s no doubt as to the band’s impressive musical prowess, but the ultra-polished production – with seemingly omnipresent keyboards and strings on just about every track - fails to hide the lack of depth and lack of genuinely memorable tunes on offer here.

Occasionally, they do hit the mark; previous singles Parallel Words and Still Figuring Out boast sing-along choruses that will lodge themselves in your brain whether you like it or not.

Elsewhere, however, things are less promising. Silently is a ballad so syrupy that surely even Michael Bolton would baulk at it, whilst The Liar Is You, The Broken Minor and closing track Last Call To New York City, just drift by in a melodic but ultimately forgettable manner. Plus, Alex Davies’ whiny vocals really start to grate after a while.

Elliot Minor certainly isn’t a hopeless debut, and the boys’ musical talent suggests that they could create something genuinely convincing in years to come. For now, however, Elliot Minor’s vision of a classical/pop/rock fusion is more exciting in theory than in practice.