On a mini-album largely filled with pretty awful Christian nu-metal, two tracks stand head and shoulders above the rest - and it is no coincidence that these tracks are a million miles away from nu-metal.
Perhaps it’s emphasised by such a weird juxtaposition but, four tracks in, the band offer up This World, an indie epic in the mould of Embrace or Coldplay (and I realise that for many this sounds even less appetising than the nu-metal) that absolutely blows the socks of what’s come before it. The first minute or so is fairly inconspicuous and points towards a big stadium rock ballad but, as the first chorus kicks in, it becomes apparent that this is much more special as the female backing vocals kick in, this time showing much more sincerity than the faux-American twang of other tracks.
The build up of keyboards and a chugging rhythm section as the main vocal repeats ‘it’s for you, it’s for you’ lead brilliantly into the final chorus and, with some tweaking of the verses, the song could be an excellent interpretation of the genre comparable maybe with something like Snow Patrol’s Run or Echo And The Bunnymen’s Nothing Lasts Forever.
Whilst not quite as good, next track Somebody Loves You continues with this theme and indicates that This World might not have been a fluke. I really hope that these two tracks indicate the new direction of Flip:side rather than being a reminder of their older sound – not because I’m a big fan of indie epics, but because nobody is a fan of Christian nu-metal.