The Authentics
Back Down To Earth

The Authentic’s fifth release ‘Back Down to Earth’ could be a clear hit with a teenage audience given its energetic, upbeat music and influences from the Foo Fighters and Gun ‘n’ Roses.

With the title track playing first, their likeness to bands such as New Found Glory was obvious. The familiar sound of ‘Back Down to Earth’ made it a little less original although you can’t ignore its catchiness and persistence to get stuck in your head! Good, clear vocals are delivered via a fascinating voice and stops you from losing interest. Not the most original song, but often it is these similarities that ensure a song’s success and this track may be no different. In fact, ‘Back down to Earth’ is clearly the best song on the CD both vocally and lyrically, leaving some frantic drumming and a whiny guitar riff to build up to a memorable ending. One of those perfect tunes for the summer.

‘Natural Born Thriller’ gives the release a heavier twist after the bounciness of the first track. The tune is good but the vocals just seemed to get drowned out. This is probably intentional, but it does make you wonder what you’re missing. Despite this, the chorus is still as infectious as on the first song with high notes in the vocals and plenty of emphatic clangs from the guitar, all accompanied by exuberant drumming. Towards the end, ‘Natural Born Thriller’ takes a lighter turn, which gives the song a different twist from its original fast pace. This ability to vary the music within one song clearly shows the bands talent and could elevate The Authentic’s above the norm.

‘Popstar/Rockstar’ gets off to a promising start with a great guitar riff, but the vocals let the song down a little. They quickly improve to fit the tune of the song, although the ‘popstar/rockstar’ phrase has the potential to become very irritating. The combination of vocals and upbeat guitar riffs make this song heavier than the previous two on the CD. However, what is interesting is that towards the end of the track the drums and guitar take it in turns to play. This is clearly the highlight of the song and adds to its power, leaving them to come together to give the song a good, strong ending.

‘Retribution’ is my perhaps least favourite of the CD because it lacks the sort of character to make a song memorable and, by this point, the music is far too similar to the other tracks. Saying that, the cheeriness of the music still manages to make it catchy and the guitar riffs are still unique. The vocals also work well leaving the CD with a nice burp and ensuring a humorous touch that I’m sure would be enjoyed by teenage boys everywhere.