Reviews

This band from Canada have emerged from the shadows and have come out with a decent debut. Vocalist Charles Furney has the power behind him, but it varies from song to song, which is a bit of a problem. The third track, "Vanishings," definitely has the power to be a summer hit, if the label realizes it. The current single, "XOXOXO" sounds a bit too much like Underoath for my taste but if you really like Underoath but don't like the blood curdling screaming, then Secret & Whisper is a good alternative for you.

The good thing about Secret & Whisper is their introspection, which has resulted in a lot quieter, moodier sound, which is nice for a change. By the middle of the record, they start repeating themselves, both lyrically and musically, which is incredibly frustrating because some of these bands will try every trick they can think of and then when they've run out, there's nothing more they can do.

While this record has been released by Tooth & Nail and all the members thank God in the liner notes, it's hard to hear this as a Christian record. While songs like "Attacker" could be looked at as Christian-like, the rest of the record seems like a melodic quasi-emo band, which isn't a bad thing, it just doesn't seem to work with this band.

Other songs like "Werewolves" come off sounding a little bit too much like Saosin but again, this is a new band, still trying to find their footing. It'll be more than interesting to hear them in a few years when they've picked up some more new styles to merge with their current sound and some more influences to throw into the mix. Until then, fans of Underoath and Saosin, as well as the curious will be interested in Secret & Whisper.