Spun: Departures

By Emily Hemmings

Departures’ Kino-Pravda is an of stylistic schizophrenia– something I’m normally a huge fan of, but in this case it sounds like it comes from a place of real confusion. It was obviously created by people with the potential for incredible technical proficiency, but the entire EP’s tone has a distinct air of apathy to it, like they all sat down one day and said, “I know, we’ll write an album.” What cements the feeling of boredom is the lead vocals. The lead singer, Nicholas Liang, lends no distinct sound to the music. He sounds vaguely pleasant but unobtrusive, like the vocal equivalent of white bread. I don’t demand abrasive vocals, but generally here they all sound so incredibly uninspired that it makes me wonder why I should feel invested in their work.

Perhaps I’m misinterpreting their attempts at gentleness and introspection as a disinterest in their own music, but frankly I’ve listened to enough Interpol-lite bands to stop buying the schtick. I know not every piece of music ever written was from a place of pain or suffering, but in 20 years, I wouldn’t be surprised if I heard “Tired Old Pop Song” in the dentist’s office.