ALBUM REVIEW: Eat Your Heart Out – Can’t Stay Forever
The most prominent impression that Eat Your Heart Out give off is one of a band that isn’t bad at all, but don’t show it off in that beneficial of a way. Their debut Fluorescence was incredibly set in pop-rock’s ways, especially in 2019 when the genre’s more earnest, honest changes were coming into greater effect.
Had it been released a few years before—maybe to capitalise on the momentum of fellow Aussies Tonight Alive—there would’ve been some greater ripples made, rather than pop-rock whose older style of creation fit perfectly with how generally forgettable it could be.
At least Can’t Stay Together is marginally better, in the sense that Eat Your Heart Out take on some bolder melodies that can tighten themselves up a bit. Particularly on Scissors in My Skin and Heavenly, their older-style sensibilities correlate more with the tone and bounce they pick up on, verging more on alt-rock while still being reasonably sharp. It’s all produced to feel like a rock album, as was the case with the era of earlier-2010s pop-rock they’re drawing from; there’s more muscle and bluster to the guitars, and outside of the strings on Blood and whistle of synth on Poison Devotion, there’s little to distract from that.
From a different perspective though, that puts a pretty firm cap on what Eat Your Heart Out can achieve, especially in the current climate. They’re big and expressive, but severely lack the edge that might get misused elsewhere, but helps others to stand out. On Can’t Stay Forever, by comparison, the main setting is mid-gear, feeling that way whether intentional or not. Thankfully the band do move away from the more overworked alt-rock trappings present on the opening duo Forget Me and Down, the sonic branch of Eat Your Heart Out’s sound that most appears to hit a dead end.
It’s still not even like this is bad, as much as just a bit uninteresting. The catchier moments do stand out (and having more of them is definitely a plus), but on the whole, the album is still without the oomph that’s necessary to take it further. Caitlin Henry is a good vocalist for this sort of thing, but as with most of what’s here, there’s little flair that does a great deal to elevate her performance. Paired with lyrics that go down the exact avenues of emotion that—you guessed it—were commonplace in the 2010s and generally feel a bit flavourless now, Eat Your Heart Out continue to struggle to make an impact, not just on their scene but from just a regular listen. At least there’s more to it than its predecessor, but that’s also by a factor of degrees when much more is needed to leave a conscious impression. The best that can be said for Can’t Stay Forever is that it’s still very listenable, for whatever negligible credit that might be worth.
Can’t Stay Forever is OUT NOW!
