Matthew Allen and Damian Hagger formed Tin Man Walking “as a vehicle for their power pop sensibilities”. The self-titled album turns out to be a real treat for pop rock fans, with 10 super sweet confections that hit all the right buttons. While the melodies follow classic power pop formulas, there is a mild grit to the vocals and sizzling guitar solos that give their sound an extra punch.
“Big Chorus Love” gets things off to a wonderful start with a satisfying crunch in the verses and a savory sing-a-long chorus. “Anybody Else” is a slow-burning rocker with another melt in your mouth chorus. An additional highlight is the sparkling “Love Is A Pop Song”. The band shows its gift for balladry with the excellent “We Should Be Kissing”, as well as “Not Coming Home”, “You Had To Be There”, and “Love N’ L.A.”. The ballads are quite the detour from the crunchy pop nuggets, veering into Richard Marx territory (not that there is anything wrong with that!). It is refreshing to hear a band that can balance the hard and soft rock so effectively on a single album.
I enjoyed the top half of the record more than the bottom half, but this is largely because the top half set a very high bar. Tin Man Walking struts its stuff with this most impressive debut – and it has more than enough heart to go around - so go get it today! Recommended for fans of Weezer, Cheap Trick, or All-American Rejects.
Tin Man Walking – Official site.
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