ALBUM REVIEW: South America – The Meds

Cover-wbleed-MR-300x265Earlier this year, PEI-based band The Meds released their debut full length record entitled South America,  and late in September unleashed the video for the album’s title track (which premiered on Canada AM).  While the band is based in a region of the country which has been a musical hotbed in recent years, this is an album which doesn’t bear a lot of the same ear markings as a lot of the material which is released from these parts.  This isn’t to say there aren’t some points in which you can hear elements of a couple other East Coast acts, but for the most part this is an album that isn’t going to find itself being easily pinned to this region.

There are albums which become increasingly grating by the third and fourth play, but this is not one of those albums, and with each additional spin the album begins to reveal different facets and starts to really grow on you.  I will admit my first experience seeing the Meds was not necessarily a positive one, and I was a bit trepidatious upon my first listen of South America, but what struck me was the strength of tracks such as “Dial Tones”, “Lonely Man” and “South America”  and it allowed me a develop a new appreciation for the band.  That first night could have been a case of a band needing some seasoning, or just one of those nights where I wasn’t in the mood for their brand of moody, pop-infused rock, but this album has erased that initial encounter and has far exceeded it. Fans of acts such as Wintersleep, Manchester Orchestra , and Matt Mays will find themselves in their wheelhouse here.  South America from The Meds is an album you need to discover today as it is one of the strongest albums to come out of the Maritimes in 2014.

The Meds Are:
Kyle Drake – Lead Vocals & Guitar
Iain McCarvill – Bass & Backing Vocals
George Maros – Drums
Bruce Rooney  – Guitar & Backing Vocals

South America was released on April 29, 2014 and is available now on iTunes. The Meds are currently on tour and will be hitting Hunters Ale House to close out the tour on October 25th, 2014. 

You can follow The Meds on FacebookTwitterInstagram, and YouTube

 

About the author

Trev

A proud and over-caffeinated husband, father, runner and writer. I've written for the local weekly The Coast for over a decade and have since taken to creating and writing for HAFILAX for even longer. I hope you enjoy the musings of a guy who has loved music for the better part of 4 decades, and has an album of concert tickets to show for it.

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