Record Label: Victory Records
Genre: Femo
Band Link: link
Buy on Amazon.com link

Disgustingly cutesy, youthful emo with the added bonus of male/female dual vox. The songs have various gimmicks, some cliched (glockenspiel, arpeggio-ridden breakdowns), some different (retro layered vocal harmonies, harmonica), but the songs themselves don’t stand out or stick in any catchy way.

I find they’re best and most unique when they’re not playing emo. Unfortunately, outside the feel-good heartland-rock of “Tennessee Song,” instances of non-emo music are only moments within songs and not songs themselves. But it’s those moments, particularly during the softer female-fronted tunes (“Grace”, “Lovelikepoetry,” “Curse Or Cure”), that 1997 shows a maturity apart from their peers. Otherwise they’re doing the same crap in just a slightly different way.

Bottom Line: Female vox with indie approach give their emo some depth.
Notable Tracks: Grace, Lovelikepoetry, Tennessee Song
Overall Rating: