Music Review: The Fold - Dear Future, Come Get Me

Genre: Pop/Rock
Label: Independent
Release Date: October 6, 2009

Rating: 3/5

The Fold hopes their newest album, Dear Future, Come Get Me, serves as a wake-up call to people to pursue their dreams, letting nothing stand in the way. Born out their breakup with Tooth & Nail Records after two full-length releases, the new album brings the catchy, highly-melodic rock the guys are known for, while showing some attempts to expand their musical horizons as well.

Themes on the album clearly reflect the state of mind of the band as they struck out on their own, dealing with the ideas of perseverance, courage to face the future, and not giving up on dreams. There’s also a joy that comes out in many of the songs, as the guys are clearly ecstatic to still be doing what they love.

Musically, though, there aren’t a ton of surprises here. This is melodic rock, incorporating aspects of punk at times, and even utilizing some electronic sounds. The songs are catchy, but probably nothing that’s going to stick with you for all that long afterwards. Some that rose above the others included the title track, which interestingly sounds like it could right out of the 80s, but works. “Head Held High,” with its sparse acoustic guitar picking and synthesizer, slow drumbeat, and soft melody, was a welcomed respite from the full-on power chord attack on much of the album. Another interesting addition was the OneRepublic-esque “These Are My Dreams.” I enjoyed the attempt at a new sound here.

Overall, though, the album is an upbeat, eminently-melodic, yet ultimately pretty forgettable collection. I enjoyed listening to the album, but there’s just not really much to separate them from the next pop/rock band and warrant multiple listens. I could see myself popping this in for a quick mood pick-me-up, and many will no doubt connect with the themes of the album and consume the encouragement the guys are serving up. Musically, however, there’s just so much in this genre that something really has to bring it to stand out. Dear Future… isn’t bad at all; in fact, it’s better than quite a bit of what passes today. However, while I really admire the guys’ resolve to continue as a band sans label, I can’t see this album pushing its way through an already cluttered genre to make a huge impact.



*This album was provided for review by The Fold.