“Paramore?!” “Uh, Kurt, that’s a dude.” “Oh…male Paramore?!” I say that somewhat jokingly but also not so much. This is really poppy shit with keyboards and vocals that I am still not sure to what gender they belong. Not that it really matters, I suppose. The Escape Frame’s self-titled album is “I’m packed in with hundreds of sweaty teenagers and early twenty-somethings at a venue/dance club” type music. It sounds really good, is produced quite cleanly, and they do a fun cover of “Rock With You” by Michael Jackson that I really liked. Don’t be fooled, though, The Escape Frame isn’t a dance punk act, nor are they straight-up techno or rave music. They’re definitely indie pop, but the spine of the band is a continual keyboard sound coupled with frequent electronic beats. Maybe the best description I can come up with is that the sound is somewhere between mellow, early Thursday material and a neutered Paramore.
–kurt (End Sounds)