Take Today are an under the radar band from Glasgow. Their album Choices was released late last year. While they might not be that well known at the moment (there’s also a band from Philadelphia with the same name that seem to have the internet dominance), Choices shows a band that has a lot of potential, and hopefully Take Today should emerge victorious at some point in the near future.
By Jane Howkins
Their music is best described as rock, with some harder elements present on certain tracks. Being Glaswegian, the vocals of lead singer Paul have a hint of a Scottish accent about them that is not dissimilar to those of Biffy Clyro, an act Take Today claim as an influence. There is a similarity there, and fans of Simon Neil and co. will find something to enjoy on Choices, but thankfully they aren’t just a carbon copy of them, with different style penetrating throughout. It’s also of note that Paul’s vocals sometimes don’t seem to have that Scottish tinge about them, with third track You Were The One being the song that made us suddenly aware his Glaswegian heritage.
There’s also a post grunge type feel to the album, which mixes quite well with the British hard rock style that Take Today have taken on board. As previously stated, Paul’s vocals change and his accent sounds different on some songs, with a vocal styling not unlike that of those bands that inhabit the southern rock/grunge genre. It generally works alongside the groove laden music, but at times it does make us wonder why his singing accent sounds like that, and if it’s something natural or put on.
In general, the album is a stomper, with big, groovy riffs filling the silence. The feel of the record changes slightly on a few songs, with The Mend in the middle of the album making for a nice departure from the heavier sound shown elsewhere. This song also ends up sounding a little like the music produced by the emo bands from the late 1990s and early 2000s, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and the build up at the end of the track changes their sound up yet again.
Overall this is a fairly good album, and we fully expect Take Today to gain more fans over the coming year. In order to help that process along, we recommend a greater media presence and a little more clarity over their genre, but otherwise Choices is a good album for rock fans in general.
Choices by Take Today is available now.