This Century - Sound of Fire - April 19, 2011

There is no doubt that Arizona pop-rockers This Century have blown up recently. Last summer, their friends in The Maine added them as a supporting act on the An Evening With The Maine tour. TC spent that time traveling the United States and creating a bigger fan base. For those new fans, and old ones as well, the band’s first album was long awaited. This Century’s last release, a short sampler EP, came out during that summer tour. But with news of their signing with Action Theory Records, fans knew a full-length would be just around the corner.

The first single debuted from the album was “Sound of Fire.” The song, which is also the title track to the record, is definitely a catchy, and fun tune. The album also features two ballads, “Everywhere, Everything,” and the previously recorded, “Money Honey.” Both songs are sure to make girls everywhere swoon. “Young & Useless” seemed to be the favorite among fans upon Sound of Fire’s release and that is no shock. It is a relatable song, that can easily be sung along to. Both “To Love and Back” and “Hopeful Romantic” were featured on earlier releases from This Century. “To Love and Back” was featured on TC’s 2009 EP under the same name, but for this record, the band changed the bridge of the song to give it a new feel. While “Hopeful Romantic” is not too much different, any fan of a great bass line will be able to catch it.

The biggest let down about this record is the amount of songs. On an album with only eight songs to start with, three of them were songs already known by many fans. None the less, listeners will still be pleased with the effort This Century put into these songs. Sound of Fire is sure to be a summer hit.

Rating: 4 out of 5