Longtime Alkaline Trio drummer Derek Grant has become the last member to release work under his own name withBreakdown, an album that shows off musical chops that were once hidden behind the kit.
All the instrumentation on the album is performed by Grant, who competently handles the duties of guitar, bass, drums and piano. His voice is more than capable, and has a soft quality that works alongside the stylistic dynamics of the record.
Breakdown is a standard rock record that also shows elements of country and even ’80s new wave on tracks like ‘Waiting For The End Of The World’. However, while the songs are reminiscent of classic songwriters such as Petty, Springsteen and Dylan, they seem to lack depth. The record is centred around heartbreak and divorce, but fails to hit the emotional marks that it should be.
Songs such as ‘Got A Feeling’ and ‘Lucy’ recall Alkaline Trio, with a lot of the softer tracks presented in a similar way to their acoustic album Damnesia.
Breakdown is an interesting debut that shows off qualities from Derek Grant that aren’t on display in his other projects, but the album lacks the depth to keep you coming back.
3/5.
Breakdownis out now through Red Scare.
