EP: “Three Times Over” by Three Times Over

Three Times Over are an Eastleigh based four piece band, with an upbeat pop-rock sound. Their self-titled debut EP reflects influences from several successful bands, with the likes of You Me At Six, Lower Than Atlantis and Deaf Havana all audible in their sound.

They’ve recently played several Hampshire gigs, including the release show for this very EP at the Talking Heads. However, British pop-rock is a genre that grows exponentially more populated by the month, with never-ending streams of talented young bands in jeans and t-shirts wielding guitars in grotty rock pubs up and down the country. So, the question is, based on this EP, are Three Times Over good enough and unique enough to make their mark on this crowded scene?

Initially, the answer seems like it might be yes. First track “Get Over It” begins with a squeal of guitar feedback, and then positively springs into life from the speakers as its bouncy riff kicks in. This is really very good stuff, with vocalist Mike Guyan’s gravelly vocals bringing in a bit of necessary edge to proceedings along with the sharply observed lyrics, which appear to be a rallying post break-up call to arms, including gems such as “I just keep telling myself, GET OVER IT!”. We’ve all been there boys, we’ve all been there. However, the Tigger-like levels of bounce throughout keep the song from ever feeling maudlin or self-pitying, and it’s an excellent start to the EP.

The pace isn’t quite kept up with next track “Vampires”, unfortunately. It’s certainly a good song, and again, the lyrics are quite clever, with a fair bit of supernatural imagery thrown in, but there’s nothing to it to make it stand out from the crowd. Happily, momentum returns with “Summer Lullaby”, a slow building beauty of a track which starts out with vocals backed by a single chugging guitar and gradually grows into a proper, mature rock song with a chorus that could happily have come from a second or third album. For a first EP that’s an incredibly impressive feat and “Summer Lullaby” provides the highlight Three Times Over’s debut effort.

Next up comes “Here We Go Again”, another pop-rock stomper with an infectious ear-worm of a chorus. It’s another song that falls firmly into the bracket of good but not great. The EP draws to a close with “My Little Liar”, a slightly heavier song that really shows off the band’s excellent musical ability and makes sure that the EP ends on a high. Overall, Three Times Over have given a sterling effort in this, a compact 5 song release which shows what they can do as a band. It’s not a perfect release, but for a first effort, it’s good. And, most importantly, it gives a tantalising glimpse of a band who do indeed possess that special spark needed to differentiate them from the masses of British pop rock bands currently flooding the market.

Three Times Over are…
Mike Guyan (Guitar/Vox)
Del Dinawi (Guitar)
Paul Champion (Bass)
Dan Barnes (Drums/Percussion)

Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHOBT73d78s

Links
http://www.youtube.com/user/3TOThreeTimesOver
http://twitter.com/ThreeTimesOver
http://www.facebook.com/threetimesover3TO
https://soundcloud.com/threetimesover

Review by Elinor Day.