Automatic Loveletter – Truth Or Dare – Review

Release Date: June 22nd, 2010
Record Label: Sony Records
Genre: Pop Rock

Vaulted into popularity by festivals such as Bamboozle, its cousin Bamboozle Left, and a stint on Warped Tour, Automatic Loveletter found a loyal following with their debut acoustic influenced rock EP “Recover.” Most of you may not have heard the band play before, but you have most likely here their lead singer Juliet Simms before — from being featured on All Time Low‘s staple song “Remembering Sunday.” And when they deicided to not continue with the trendy producing of Matt Squire, who produced “Recover,” and instead enlisted Josh Abraham (Weezer, 30 Seconds to Mars, Velvet Revolver) for producing duties on their first full-length “Truth Or Dare,” I could tell that they were either ready to switch over to an ever-increasing sell-able sound, or that they were finally apart of a professional record label. (See: Epic Records/Payola)

Obviously we must start off by making the correlation between Automatic Loveletter and the tried and true bands of the pop-rock (female-lead) genre, such as Paramore, Versaemerge, and Meg & Dia. But where those similarities begin, key differences start to shine through. Where singers like Hayley Williams belts out soulful serenades, Juliet Simms, to her credit, is a little rough around the edges. Her harmonious diaphragm-stretching singing is both dainty and fairly nasally, adding a gritty alternative to the flawless (often boring) feminine vocals. But if you expected her to sing like any other performer, then you will be surprised when her “reaching shrills” will start to poke like pins in your ears. Just listening to “To Die For” all the way through was making me cringe.

Instrumentally, “Truth Or Dare” as a singular album, which has plenty of dynamics. Whether its the attitude-heavy rock in songs like the albums opener, “Heart Song,” which is sure to inspire plenty of Coyote Uglys, or the gentle acoustics and pianos of “Hush,” and the effects-heavy indie track “Eyes On You,” Automatic Loveletter does a pretty decent job in covering the basics of an infectious effort. There’s just something about a project that utilizes, developing keys, plenty of guitar pedals, catchy pop rock, haunting effects, and a unique vocalist, that is musical gold. But it is Juliet herself that prevents “Truth Or Dare” from being musical platinum. Her frequent shrills, while charming at first, spoil the albums progression. And once you notice it, her vocals become the elephant in the room.

Automatic Loveletter reads like a girl power manual, with more spunk than the pixie-influenced rock bands currently available. But if you are keen on keeping your hearing, I would suggest sticking with a vocalist that doesn’t add so much “character” to differentiate from the norm. (ie. Hey Monday and Versaemerge are for you) One thing “Truth Or Dare” does capture unwaveringly, is a genuine passion that no one second guesses — which also allows for the exhastingly beautiful album ender, “Back To Life” to stand out so well. And vocal issues aside, this is a maturing effort for a creative band looking to stay true to their beginnings, and that is worthy of at least some praise. ~Staff

Score: 3/5

Track Listing:
1. Heart Song
2. Don’t Let Me Down
3. Fade Away
4. Hush
5. Story of My Life
6. The Day That Saved Us
7. To Die For
8. Let It Ride
9. Eyes On You
10. My Goodbye
11. Butterflies
12. Back To Life