The Balancing Act - Live Alone

The Balancing Act

Live Alone
self-released; 2014

3.2 out of 5

By Ted Rogen

What do young guys do at college besides chase girls, drink beer and eat leftover pizza? Sometimes they play music and that was the case with Matt and Mitch who met at Western University in London, Ontario. They would get together and play songs. They wanted to get something down on paper so decided on the moniker The Balancing Act and recorded Something To Hold On To in their basement in two day’s time.

I’m sure if they could have afforded to get better equipment or recorded in a professional studio they would have but sometimes you have to use what you got. Unfortunately, the quality needs to be pointed out because it adversely affects the impact of the songs. The songs are simple consisting of acoustic guitars and vocals. Despite the minimal approach the acoustic guitars sound paper thin and tinny lacking any warmth. The vocals are in desperate need of proper compression, proper implementation of reverb and balancing when they harmonize. 

Musically, the songs are hit and miss. They sing fast and stick to simplistic pop/punk type songs that cover topics that a typical twenty-something vents over.

The first song “Time to Grow” revolves around a simple chord progression and is lyrically straightforward lacking any metaphors or puns. The vocalist sings, “I'm falling apart for the third time/This week but I know I'll be just fine/I'm growing up with every step I take/ I'm on my own now but I know I'll be okay.” The vocal delivery is solid and he stays within his natural range showing a decent voice. This isn’t the case with “Live Alone.” The first half is fine but when he screams completely out of his range the vocals fall apart

“End of the Line” gets the guys back on track as it revolves around decent guitar work and a catchy vocal melody. Another standout was one of the slower tracks “Coming Home.” The guitar picking was solid.

This is the type of music that young teenage fans will enjoy. It has most in common with commercial mall punk and will resonate most with fans of bands like Blink 182 and Real Friends. If they plan on taking their music to the next level they are going to have to get something on tape of higher quality. My advice is to befriend an audio engineering student, learn a bit more about the craft and build a studio or save up some cash and go into a professional studio. There is a big market for this type of music and Balancing Act might resonate with that demographic as long as the audience can hear them.

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