"Bummer" by Cleopatrick
"Bummer" is a great debut for the Cleopatrick. The seamless blend of heavy and alternative rock with feedback and vocals creates a highly listenable album.
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Kaleidoscope Rating10
The first album for Canadian rock band Cleopatrick, “BUMMER,” is an excellent debut for the duo. This album is loaded with ten songs ranging from hard and fast to slow and controlled and is the kind of debut a band needs to make a splash.
Every song on this album hits the target that all bands should aim for, listenability. From the first song, “VICTORIA PARK” to “GREAT LAKES” the last song on the album, each song flows to the next almost seamlessly. The lead singer, Luke Gruntz, brings high energy with his charismatic vocals and his strong guitar skills. Ian Fraser, the drummer, brings heavy drums to the table to add to Gruntz vocals and guitar.
A great example of their sound is in the song “GOOD GRIEF,” which is an attention-grabber before hitting the zenith of the album with “NO SWEAT.” “GOOD GRIEF” is loud but sounds amazing. The rhythm of the drums and the guitar match so well; this song sounds like the radio would play it nonstop. “NO SWEAT” is the middle song of the album, a place where the album slows down in pace. After “NO SWEAT,” the rest of the songs are mostly slower.
The lyricism heard in some of the songs points towards a depressing main idea for this album, with the song “2008” being a song about suicide or suicidal thoughts. “FAMILY VAN” talks about trying to find out why he’s hurting, pointing back to the themes of the album.
The overall feeling of this album comes from its sound. Each song fits in its place and allows the album to flow like a river. The sound of this album is hard and loud, exactly what a rock band should be. Each song focuses on using feedback with the music they create which creates a sound that meshes well with the music playing.
Fans will recognize some of the songs from their EP “2008”. “2008,” “THE DRAKE,” “FAMILY VAN” and “GOOD GRIEF” were all released before the album as singles to create excitement for the album, and these were strong songs to be released to promote the album, being the best four songs on the album.
“BUMMER” is an album with lyrics that point to deeper themes of sadness or depression. Through these ten songs, Gruntz expresses past thoughts of suicide or not knowing what is hurting him. This album is full of loud and heavy songs, but the meaning behind them is even heavier.
