THE SUBTLE WAY has got something going on.  These California kids have that stylish emo/autotune sound that the scene has been eating up these days, as well as some punishing brutality that I must say they do pretty well.  Their latest release, Thus Far The Channels Speak shows promise in these youngsters.  You can definitely tell they’ve taken more of an I See Stars kind of path on this record. 

Opening up Thus Far The Channels Speak, “Hardwired And Inspired” gets their stylistic approach started.  Mixing screamo with some mean distortion and dissonance, the song is about not giving up, and being able to count on one another to be there for each other.  Diving further into Thus Far The Channels Speak, the band shows some flare with “The Breath And The Breathing”, smoothly transitioning between upbeat melody and brutality.  Other songs show an electronica I See Stars kind of approach such as “Where Cowards Hide”.  Lot’s of distortion, lot’s of groove, and lot’s of power make up this song.  THE SUBTLE WAY really brings the heat with “This Ain’t No Fashion Show”, unleashing a ton of modern brutality.  The song definitely caught me off guard, and definitely shows a strong side to the band.  While the band is still young, it seems as if they understands each other well, and are exploring new territory.  THE SUBTLE WAY made Thus Far The Channels Speak a little bit of a thinker, giving you that drive to conquer what’s to come.

With the emo/autotune trend hot as of late, I do feel as if THE SUBTLE WAY is a late bloomer.  While I do dig autotune sometimes, the band uses it way too much to the point where it’s just not enjoyable.  With an overcrowded scene filled with this kind of band, THE SUBTLE WAY is going to have to stick out somehow to make it out alive.  Regardless they still have a pretty solid musical direction, and I think they will continue to push until they get their sound on lock.  Keep an eye on these guys.