The Traditional is an emo/indie/rock quartet that hails from Buffalo, New York. Their name is a bit ironic because they’re definitely not the typical sound that fans have come to expect from this particular genre. The play a style of indie/rock that is very edgy, raw, and full of energy. Their debut EP, You Can’t Rebuild Forever, was released today (October 31st) and it can be purchased through several digital music outlets (links below).
The music slowly fades in and when it finally reaches its maximum volume, you’re hit with a massive riff. The first track, “Give Up Your Ghosts”, gives you a nice taste of what’s to come on You Can’t Rebuild Forever with its catchy and strong vocals, powerful chords, excellent riffs and leads, and great drumming. The aforementioned powerful chords that resonate through the listener’s ears will probably remind them of Balance & Composure. For the most part, though, The Traditional is different from most indie/rock bands and I’m not quite sure what sets them apart. Every instrumental aspect is above average, but there isn’t really anything that is absolutely jaw-dropping. So, they aren’t set apart from the rest by pure talent, I guess they’re set apart by originality.
Lyrically and vocally, every track on You Can’t Rebuild Forever is impressive. A few of my favourite tracks are “The Composer, The Compromise”, “I’m Losing My Mind”, and “The Visionary”. All of these tracks, especially the former, feature solid riffs, great hooks, and catchy and relateable lyrics. One of the lyrics that stood out the most to me was “I don’t want to be mistreated/I don’t want to be mislead/I just want to be missed/I don’t want to be mistaken for another young misfit/I don’t want to lose my mind” heard on “I’m Losing My Mind”.
All-in-all, I was extremely impressed by this release because of the replay value, the length (24 minutes), and the actual music, of course. When bands release something for the first time, more often than not, it’s only a few tracks long and it’s not nearly as polished as the material heard on You Can’t Rebuild Forever.
Links: Facebook – Bandcamp – iTunes
