Labels: self released
Review by: Tom Howells
Bands like Ictus, along with other folks like You Me At Six and Tonight Is Goodbye and suchlike, are the reason that “pop punk’ still seems like such a grubby phrase when it comes to defining the existence of a definitive current UK scene for this kind of thing. Handmade and Homegrown is absolute dross to the point of being quite sad. Following the standard check-list of homogenous tenth wave, MTV-aspiring types, Ictus are horribly overproduced (read: compressed sounding, sterile drums, appalling vocal effects, PRS sounding guitars), have appalling lyrics””I’m just picking up the pieces of your car crash heart” etc etc etc”, and a complete lack of actual tunes, just minute after minute of dullard octave chords over non-descript mid-paced progressions. I can’t believe are people are STILL peddling that ever so slightly baritone and vaudeville Fall Out Boy singing that was so in vogue four years ago. Added to that, the military-motif artwork for the cd I got through is the worst I have ever seen, ever. Not great then. More than old enough to know better as well from the looks of it.