Keep Your Friends Close

The first track on Aussie three-piece The Basics’ album sounds just like ‘More Than Words’ by poodle rockers Extreme. Now this could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on your perspective, but for the rest of the review we’ll just assume you can hear properly and agree that this striking similarity is, well, regrettable. There’s no denying that the Melbourne MOR lovers know their way around their instruments (no sniggering at the back) but there’s little power or passion on display. It’s almost like they’re afraid to pin their colours to the mast and it results in a record that makes The Fray look like the epitome of punk rock.