our MiraGE

Lifeline

ARISING EMPIRE German post-hardcore crew bring no oil for their spark The most memorable track and creative highpoint of Our Mirage’s new album barely features the band at all. A young man talking about manic depression set to a gentle-butstirring soundbed, Honesty is an ambitious move that seeks to tie a narrative thread through the album’s lyrical content and, despite sounding trite on paper, it really works. It’s a real pity, then, that the rest of the tracks on Lifeline are so by-thenumbers. Melodic, almostscreamed vocals? Check. Clicky, triggered bass drum? Of course. Choppy, processed guitars? All present and correct. While it’s playing, Lifeline is a perfectly passable album that could have been made by any band on the Vans Warped Tour circa 2014 but with a dearth of decent riffs and few memorable choruses, there’s little here to draw you back for more. FOR FANS OF: NORTHLANE, UNDEROATH, THE AMITY AFFLICTION