Review by Richie Pirone
Having a general idea of June’s sound and the audience that they appeal to I certainly would not say that I went into hearing this record for the first time with high expectations. The band openly admits that Make It Blur is poppier than their previous effort but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Now I couldn’t even tell you the title of June’s first album let alone know what it sounds like but I can tell you that the band has grown on Make It Blur. The album clearly has that sense of a band that has grown and is coming into its own.
Make It Blur’s opener “No Time For Sense” is laced with a string section that provides a solid support for a song that might not fill the aural space without it. The repeated “it’s better than being alone” throughout the song is incredibly catchy in a mature way not a bubble gum kind of way that some of June’s peers tend to fall into. “Finally” is just the opposite of the album’s opener. “Can this be real? Is she really laying next to me?,” sings vocalist Tim Brennan showing some of the band’s immaturity with his standard emo lyrics.
“I’d Lose Myself” has got an annoying little synthesizer loop in the background that thankfully gets drowned out by the guitars at times. What really shines in this song is the chorus of “would you run away” which shows that June has higher hopes than living in the pop punk and emo scenes for their careers. “I’d Lose Myself” is a clear example of the band shooting for a solid radio hit that could break them out of their current state into the mainstream.
“Swallowed” is a clear example that June is not ready to give up their pop punk roots just yet. The song is a bit more raw than the other tracks on the album but it still show cases the band’s desire to write a good hook. The difference here is that unlike the other tracks on Make It Blur that sound to be following the lines of Maroon 5, Third Eye Blind, and Matchbox 20, “Swallowed” follows June’s pop punk predecessors like New Found Glory.
“A Taste” is the hardest rocker on Make It Blur which is a nice change of tempo considering most of the other songs on the album feature synthesizers and limited guitar parts. “Sight For Sore Eyes” continues with the rocking but unfortunately June falls into the trap of so many others with the closing track of the album “Southpoint.” Why bands find is necessary to try and bring fans down with slower softer sounds at the end of a rock record I’ll never understand. I’d prefer to pretend that the album ended at “Sight For Sore Eyes.”