The Walkup: Down on Pacific

It’s pretty clear that the Walkup is enamored with the post-punk rebirth of these last few years. After listening to their debut album, Down on Pacific, it’s also pretty clear they are little more than opportunistic imitators. The tracks are pleasant enough, sure, but the superlatives end there. The band appears to be reaching for the stop-start thrills of Bloc Party or the jangle-guitar frenzy of Josef K, but their limp melodies and utter lack of musical creativity edge them more towards a tepid Keane-Killers hybrid. In fact, the album’s best song, “The Long Hours”, sounds like it was pruned from the final track list of the Killers’ Hot Fuss. It’s annoyingly repetitive, but at least its catchy. Aside from that highlight, only a few other songs (“Looks Like We Haven’t Learned a Thing”, “My Youth”, “Conversation”) even stand out from the low-level hum of a routine day. The rest fade into the hiss without the faintest imprint.