Multiball

It must take American musical trends quite a bit of time to reach Slovenia. On Multiball’s second album, Endless Journey, the Europeans show that they are well versed in American sounds from ten years ago. They touch on everything from the melodic skatecore that Fat and Epitaph popularized, to the catchy and overproduced alternative scene that exploded in the wake of Nirvana’s demise. While none of it is done particularly poorly, it just wreaks of carbon copy, like the band stole molds from `90s acts and cast their own songs with it.

“When I’m Done” starts the album off with some soft guitar strumming and a marching beat that builds into a galloping skatepunk song. Singer Gregor’s voice is a bit dramatic, but the song recalls bands like Satanic Surfers and No Use for a Name. “We Don’t Know Why” and “Friday Night Anthem” show off the band’s harder rocking alternative side before returning to the skatecore sound on “Too Many.” It is here that the band sounds best, combining soaring melodies with speedy drums and some crunchy riffing. Unfortunately, most of the album is filled with forgettable alt-rockers like “Supermarket Hero” and “Absent” or second-rate skatepunk tunes like “This One.”

Multiball are competent songwriters, but aren’t bringing enough creativity or melodic knowledge to the table in order to help distinguish themselves. Instead they have created a slick and forgettable album that touches on many `90s rock hallmarks.