state to state - no bounds

State to State

No Bounds
self-released; 2014

3.7 out of 5

By Jamie Funk

State to State are a four piece consisting of Shea Stratton (vocals, guitar) Andrew Orvis (guitar) Mike Schneider (drummer) and Patrick MOrgan (bass) who recently released their debut album entitled No Bounds.

The bands debut is an impressive batch of songs that is a sonic onslaught of sounds that should make most fans of indie rock giddy with excitement.  State to State tip their hats to bands like Radiohead, Queens of the Stone Age, Local Natives, U2, and Sigur Ros to bring you an eclectic variety of songs and textures. With that being said  the band does a decent job at establishing their own sound which is isn't completely apparent at first but  does come through with repeated listens.

The band opens up the album with “The Fool” which  combines a slick guitar riff with an inventive drum beat and bass. RIght off the bat you spot some of the similarities in the music with Radiohead but once the vocals enter it won’t be too hard to  separate. Stratton has a confident voice the feels conducive for rock as the band delivers a pumping chorus.

The Second song “To Err IS Human” introduces long, hall like  reverbs on the vocals as well as guitars which adds an ethereal element to the music. You can’t but help but reminded of Pink FLoyd during the exceptional guitar solo. “Comprehension Headache” has a great drum beat which carries the verse. The chorus on this song felt the most accessible in some ways as it soars and sounding like something you might hear on a radio. Statton sounds like Bono on the chorus, Wait for it, it’s in there. “Relief” rocks out in a slow, dramatic fashion while “SadRobot” is an epic instrumental number that was actually one of the highlights on the album. The band closes with “Bring Out Your Dead” which is a rocker that has some dance elements to it.

The only thing holding back this album is that band still seems to be discovering their sound. Their music lies somewhere between sounding like indie rock and popular rock. The band attempts a lot of styles and  usually has satisfying results but at times is a bit confusing as to what direction they are shooting for. Overall, the album delivers a number of songs that are good anyway you look at it and is something worth getting acquainted with.

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