The Summer in Between - s/t EP
(Kittridge)
You know who annoy me? Bis. Bis really fucking annoy me. I don’t know if it’s their intentionally cutesy names (come on, "Manda Rin," "Sci-Fi Steven?" Do you have any integrity? Do you take yourselves seriously at all?), or if it’s their Saturday morning cartoon aspirations, or if it’s just the dumb, smug way they seem to carry themselves... but I don’t like them at all. So, what does that have to do with the Summer in Between? Oh, nothing, really... except this band seems to want to be Bis in a very, very bad way. Just look at that extra hottt artwork! Mmm, cartoon!
Anyway, all that this record is, is bad synth-pop with some emo flourishes. And I don’t mean like Reggie and the Full Effect, because at least they don’t do it seriously. No, this is terrible, trying to be meaningful but failing terribly, bad stuff. And I say that with as much conviction as possible, because, like Bis, I think this is something you should stay away from.
It starts with the poppy, peppy, preppy, and utterly soulless "I Don’t Know Why"—which is a light jangle that’s not very original. It’s got sappy female vocals, a bad canned drum beat, and some average guitar. The guitar isn’t half bad, actually, but it’s so irritatingly derivative and bland that I can’t help but dislike it. My guess is that fans of Bis would approve, though. The next track is almost identical. In fact, I’ve pretty much described every song on this EP.
Now let’s talk about the artwork. Nothing screams emo like the artwork on this record. A sad looking girl leans on a table with a steaming cup of coffee beside her, wearing a sweater and jeans. On the back is a boy with his head down, with a couple of pieces of paper in front of him, and, like the girl on the cover, a cup of steaming coffee. Wow, it’s deep, see, because they’re broken up and sad, that’s why they’re on either side of the album... because they’re broken up, see? It’s clever that way. Actually, it isn’t!
One thing that can be lobbed in the direction of the Summer in Between is that it’s just two people, and the album sounds impressively thick for just two people. But that doesn’t save this piece of uninspired garbage from my wrath. I actually ended up giving it to my pal Ryan as part of his Christmas gift. How about that? I’m sure Manda Rin would approve, though.
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