English rock band Lower Than Atlantis have released their fifth studio album earlier this month, Safe In Sound.

By Jane Howkins.

   Lower Than Atlantis are a band often linked with the pop-punk genre, possibly in small part due to their history of performing at gigs and festivals based around that genre, such as the Slam Dunk Festival (which they’ve played at a few times over the years). However, we think they deserve better than to be pigeonholed into a genre they don’t belong in (no offence to pop-punk), being a British rock band more along the lines of You Me At Six rather than anything else.

Sadly, Lower Than Atlantis’ mislabelling may put people off that would otherwise like their music, which is a crying shame considering how good Safe In Sound is. They’ve definitely matured, with a broader outlook present in vocalist and rhythm guitarist Mike Duce’s lyrics – a definite plus in our books. The most immediate thing is just how catchy the songs are, with I Would and Boomerang being two of our instant favourites. They’re highly memorable and addictive, and are the type of tracks to get stuck in your head straight away. This is quite a pop-orientated record and it might not satisfy the most stoic of rock fans, but if you like catchy rock ‘n’ roll then this is something you might like.

Lower Than Atlantis are a band that are better when playing loud, so it’s a good thing that most of the songs on Safe In Sound are bombastic enough to fulfil that expectation. I Don’t Want To Be Here Anymore is the only real slow song on the album, and it’s telling that it’s also the worst track, sounding more than a little dreary.

Lower Than Atlantis’ songs may be overly catchy for some who prefer their rock a little harder, but if this is your sort of thing then you can’t really go wrong with Safe In Sound.