Album Review: Balance And Composure – ‘The Things We Think We’re Missing’

Five-piece melodic Rock collective Balance And Composure, have emerged from the depths of America armed with their latest release, ‘The Things We Think We’re Missing’.

From the onset ‘The Things We Think We’re Missing’ is a high-energy affair which is most notable on stand-out track ‘Back Of Your Head’, which has an overall Grunge/Shoe Gaze vibe with distorted vocals and dream-like soundscapes all incorporated. The slowed down, head banging chorus nods warmly to bands like Nirvana, while still adding their own unique, heavier sound, whereas on ‘Tiny Raindrop’ and ‘Notice Me’, vocally, the tracks compare to UK bands You Me At Six and The Blackout.

Unfortunately for Balance And Composure, they sit within a heavily saturated genre that makes drawing comparisons far too easy. This is not to say they sound exactly the same as the bands they, most likely, look up to but there are elements of many other bands heard loudly in their sound.

From about the midway-point onwards the album truly takes off with each song developing and changing before the listener has time to catch up and reflect. Despite hearing a mixture of influences throughout, the band aren’t actually trying to be anyone else, they just haven’t been able to move away from the Rock comparison umbrella.

The album does stand on its own well, as each track is packed full of heavy Rock attributes and melodic-turned-screamo-vocals, making for an exciting audio experience. It’s a confident release which is heard mirrored in every track on ‘The Things We Think We’re Missing’.

By Bryony Curtis