The Mary Onettes' self-titled debut full-length was troubled by the band's influences -- it just sounded far too much like a pale imitation of
Echo & the Bunnymen. So here's the good news: if their 2009 single,
Dare, is any indication, it sounds like they've kept the echo and gotten rid of the
Bunnymen. Granted, it's still easy to pick out their influences -- notably
the Cure (Exhibit A: the ringing, jewel-toned guitar work that embroiders "God Knows I Had Plans"). But on
Dare, the
Mary Onettes mostly sound like themselves -- that is, something along the lines of
Shout Out Louds, only with a big ol' dollop of reverb. What with its cascades of reverb, diaphanous synth washes, and heart-wrenchingly earnest lyrics (delivered by frontman
Philip Ekström, whose plaintive bawl brings to mind both
Shout Out Louds' frontman
Adam Olenius and
Loney Dear),
Dare seems, at least from the outset, like it has all the makings of a really infectious love song -- something along the lines of
the Cure's "Just Like Heaven," maybe. Strangely, the song never hits the warm, heartbreaking climax that it seems to be angling at. This might have something to do with the sparkly yet flat production -- the crescendos aren't quite big enough, the decrescendos aren't quite quiet enough. "God Knows I Had Plans," the disc's second attempt at a big, thrilling love song, suffers from the same problems. This is a brief, sweet, and ultimately forgettable introduction to the
Mary Onettes' second full-length album.