I must say that I became fascinated with these three guys from Sydney by listening to "Highly Evolved," a much-appreciated album, and in a way, also lauded by critics.
This very album is the one that allowed The Vines to emerge and take part in an increasingly vast and rich music scene. The album opens with a track that I would call essential in its immediacy, "Highly Evolved," something already heard here and there, yet always pleasant to listen to.
Next is "Autumn Shade," a ballad that seems somewhat the calm after the storm... The entire album, at least until "Get Free," the best track in my opinion, proceeds with this "undulating" pace, which perhaps reflects a bit of Mr. Nicholls' personality.
Simplicity is the prerogative of The Vines and manifests through the elementary riffs of the guitarists, the timing and fills of Hamish Rosser, and the voice of their leader. This judgment is certainly not negative, on the contrary... Do not overlook tracks such as the single "Outtathaway," "Homesick," and "Country Yard."
Venturing a comparison with the other two albums, this one inevitably stands in the middle.
In this album, you will find nothing new, nothing that hasn’t already been written in the rock of the '90s.
If you’ve forgotten what the '90s produced, this is the album for you as it retraces with freshness and intelligent inspirations a decade of guitar bands.
It was the album itself that overwhelmed me with its verve out of the ordinary, with its grit, enjoyable to the nth degree because it’s not the result of carelessness or overdoing it, but of great compositional maturity.
Why penalize artists who have managed to synthesize the best of the last forty years of pop-rock in such a wise and personal way?
"It was nothing innovative or particularly brilliant; it could have been made by any other budding Anglo-Saxon indie band."
"Don’t believe the hype... 3/5 anyway."