God Or Julie

This Road Before

[3/5]

As more lo-fi indie aesthetics start to dominate what today’s records sound like, suddenly it’s become kind of refreshing to hear an album coated in studio gloss. With a brace of producers-and the band themselves-seemingly striving to out-tweak each other on the boards, This Road Before is as glossy as a freshly waxed kitchen floor. From the bombastic opening blast of “Nothing Further From The Truth,” First and foremost, God Or Julie go for bigness and warmth, and usually succeed, with soaring guitars and subtle volume swells under every hook. It’s an enveloping experience, although the performances don’t always match the improved sonics. While never short on volume, Jon Paul Johnson’s vocals gradually become monotonous emo cartoons that constantly break in the same place, resulting in a gloopy generic tenderness in songs that otherwise sound pretty sharp. (TRASHBOX) Rick Flintlock