Labels: self released
Review by: Oli Saunders
Raein helped to get me into DIY punk. It must have been around 2003, when my parents installed a broadband connection and I eagerly scoured the internet and subsequently Soulseek for bands that were better than the Deftones and Skycamefalling. I remember going jogging while listening to the new Daïtro / Raein split and being mesmerised. Both bands have made some of the best ‘modern emo’ and are still going in different capacities; it’s a great blueprint to aspire to.
This record very much continues along the same lines as the one sided 12” ‘Ogni Nuovo Inizio’ from 2008, which makes this review somewhat redundant – I know a fair few people who were dissapointed by the mellower take on things. I remain in two minds about it – true, the astonishing intensity of earlier records is not displayed any more, but to not change their sound would have been unoriginal. This road the band have taken makes sense and you can still see plenty of emotion in the music. For me, ‘Ogni Nuovo Inizio’ actually has more standout tracks on its short play, but this new offering remains extremely solid and if it hadn’t come from a band with such a reputation we would be on Collective raving about this new Italian band. No one else can make music like this; the vocals, whilst less harsh than in the past, are still absolutely spot on, as are the instruments. If you have never checked out Raein out then please move it up your list of priorities.
10th August 2011