As December Falls – Capture [Single Review]

The UK pop-punk scene pales in comparison to our friends overseas, but thankfully Nottingham based four-piece As December Falls are a welcome blush on the ill cheek of Britannia. Their newest track Capture has already made its debut on BBC Introducing’s ‘The Beat’ two weeks before its official release, and it comes as no surprise that this song has the potential to be the radio’s darling – sweet vocals, catchy guitar riffs and lyrics of a troubled relationship are a perfect recipe for mainstream attention.

That’s not to infer that Capture is without its rugged elements. Lukas James’ drums are certainly aggressive, and perfectly illustrate the frustration that tints this seemingly upbeat track of a relationship that’s spiralling out of control. Perhaps the light-hearted quality conveyed in the fluttering guitars and vocalist Bethany Curtis’ deceptively sugary tones that contrast with the fierce drums is exemplary of the illusory front of a crumbling inner self. From this, it’s fair to say that As December Falls are definitely on their way to writing a ground-breaking debut album.

A highlight of the track is the discourse between Curtis and guitarist Ande Hunter, who claims a vocal role in Capture and adds a layer of complexity to an already intricate song. This especially cements the track as reminiscent of early We Are The In Crowd. The only thing that is uncomparable between the two bands here is Curtis’ lack of vocal tension. Her vocals are very clean-cut, which isn’t necessarily problematic in the verses, but her lack of vigour in the chorus still leaves a lot to the imagination.

However, this is only a minor scratch on the band’s solid endeavour and the track as a whole is expertly mixed. As December Falls possess refreshing maturity for a band that are still very much in their infancy. Not only are they the best band to come out of Nottingham in recent years, they’re looking hot candidates to explode onto the UK music scene – one can easily imagine them entertaining audiences at Slam Dunk Festival, Hit The Deck and maybe even a small slot at Reading and Leeds. Watch this space.