Release date: 9th February 2018
Life Begins At These Dead Ends is the debut album from three-piece post-hardcore outfit Winchester and although it’s a fairly good listen, it doesn’t quite have that special sparkle to set it apart from what is an already oversaturated genre.
Unfortunately, it’s just a little difficult to get overly excited about the nine tracks featuring on the album. The choruses are catchy enough and the instrumentation is tight and together, but the songs just won’t get stuck in your head. I must have listened to this album five or six times now, and I still just can’t connect with it. The tracks just aren’t earworms and they seem to blend together rather than them all having a unique identity.
The album as a whole is fairly inoffensive. It’s alright if you want to just stick something on as background music for a bit of company rather than just sitting in silence, but nothing more than that. Still, it’s only Winchester’s debut album and there’s plenty of time for them to grow and improve – and besides, chances are they could be a band that is best appreciated live.
5/10
