Everything and Everyone - Hard To Try

Boston's own Everything and Everyone have arrived on the scene with their full-length debut release titled Hard To Try. The disc is a refreshing and eclectic bunch of tunes that run the gamut from high energy and melodic to low key and ethereal, and the band have clearly demonstrated their strengths and talents in this neatly assembled studio release.

The disc starts off with "With Me", a fun-loving, breezy track that features the neatly wound lead vocals of Chris O'Toole, who adds a distinct element to every song on the album that showcases what the band intend to bring to the audience from this point forward. "Get It All Down" is a more upbeat tune that features some distinct Vampire Weekend influences weaving its way into the fabric of the song, and creates an air of familiarity with the music as it brings in elements of their influences that the listening audience takes to heart almost immediately upon first listen. "No Room" is a charged up, focused rocker that features anthemic choruses and thumping instrumentation that gnaws at you immediately upon first contact, and bodes well for the rest of the album to follow. "Give It A Go" channels the youthful vibe of The Pixies into a sonic delight with striking bass chords from Corey Major providing that emotional connection that musicians strive to achieve when creating these tracks in the studio.

The second half starts off with my favorite song off the album, "Amigos". An exquisite track that features exceptional instrumentation from everyone involved, and Chris's vocals provide the perfect balance and best captures the spirit and feeling that the band were aiming for during the recording process. "Pete" is a perfect indie-leaning track that captures the youthful essence and dynamic of the group, and you can clearly tell just by listening to this track how much fun these guys are having both playing and being with each other at the same time. "Space" starts to close out the album with an atmospheric, straight to the sky track that features piercing instrumentation that churns on all cylinders here with a great approach to crafting a sonic pleasure all in just under 2 minutes. The title track closes it all out here with a toned down, melancholy track that manages to cram in all the musical elements we've heard in succession one after another here on the album, and presents us with an encapsulated overview of everything we've heard so far and how we've gotten to this point in the first place. One thing I really enjoyed about this band was their organic approach to recording, by creating the skeletal portions of the songs first, then adding in the vocals later that gives off a layered and textured approach that allows the tonality of the album to be more pure and amplified, and that allows the songwriting to flourish and run rampant through the brush of the album with ease.

In summary, a terrific and full focused debut effort here from Everything and Everyone, a terrific local band that you should definitely make time to see the next time you run through the area, and you can see first hand what magic will unfold right before your eyes.

                                                                                                                                 Album Score: 4/5

Track Listing:

1. With Me
2. Shine Like The Sun
3. Get It All Down
4. No Room
5. Give It A Go
6. Amigos
7. Sampson
8. Pete
9. Foot Don't Fit The Shoe
10. Space
11. Hard To Try