No Hope?

Roll your eyes all you want, but truth is Good Shoes are actually a really good band. “Loads of potential” was the choice of words back in 2006/2007 when they were still not fully developed instrumentally but when their lyrics shone through and made every almost-too-generic chord worth it. On stage, they were a shy and quiet band, but, both I saw them, they were good and charmed the crowd.

As you hear The Way My Heart Beat’s pop-punkish vibes, you might think there is no or little change on their sophomore, No Hope, No Future. Alas, they shall fall in the pit of mediocrity. The first single, Under Control, makes a head or two turn: the video is off the hook (what’s going on there?!), but the songs sparkles and, while borrowing off Bloc Party, departs from the said generic chords and dives into the world of catchy dance-math-rock hooks.

Math-rock, which Good Shoes seem to be enjoying a lot: Then She Walks Away sounds like a minimalist approach to Foals’ music. I Know keeps some elements of math-rock, but veers in the land of lo-fi punk and sees lead singer Rhys Jones ranting on about religion. Not to forget the boys know how to treat you, as they play around on Everything You Do, a song that seems to be straight out of The Cure’s world, or on Our Loving Mother in a Pink Diamond, with its marching drums and prog rock solos.

But what’s really heart-wrenching and could turn easily into a favourite is the closing song, City By The Sea, with a minor progression chord and Rhys’s voice sounding completely hopeless. And, while the album has its faults (Do You Remember showcases the band's inability to get past the jangling pop of Think Before You Speak), there’s plenty of proof these guys are a well worth it band.