Twen2y 4 se7en are brothers Andy and Niall along with Thom and Radon. With names likes those, they could easily be superheroes engaged in a battle against the forces of evil. However, their new single ‘Hide' suggests that perhaps twen2y 4 se7en are, in fact, the ones committing the crimes. Firstly there's the name. Why the quirky spelling? Frankly, it's not clever and it's plain irritating. I probably sound like an old fuddy duddy here, perhaps I'm just not down with the word on the street. Or perhaps it IS just plain irritating. According to the press release, Thom agrees "It's a bugger to spell...!" You're telling me. Name aside, twen2y 4 se7en are everything you'd expect from a boyband. They're squeaky clean looking, fairly muscular and they have made a bland pop record that will probably be forgotten a matter of weeks after its release.
"Hide" just doesn't go anywhere. Rather like a Lada in that respect (so sue me). The chorus doesn't rouse any emotion; rather it just creeps up on you and sees the percussion being a little more apparent than in the verse and the singers putting a bit more effort in. Similarly, the lyrics are totally devoid of any profundity, integrity or charm. In my mind when I hear this song is a non-descript boyband, clad entirely in white, looking moody and clenching their fists emphatically, probably caught up in the midst of a rainy storm with a pretty lady pouting lots and wondering past the members of the group with a glazed look on her face. That'll be the video, I'd put money on it... I'm not a connoisseur of all things boyband (really, is it that obvious?) but the debuts from Blue, Westlife and even Boyzone all sounded better than this.
These guys are on tour with Westlife though and have apparently been in the studio recording their debut album with help from top production duo Lee Curle and Phil Nicholas who have been responsible for hits from Westlife, Bryan Adams and Aaron Carter amongst others. So perhaps the future is shinier and happier for twen2y 4 se7en than I have conveyed. Having already visited and performed at schools up and down the country, the boys are gaining a loyal base of teeny-boppers, erm, sorry, ‘fans' but I still suspect they could have jumped onto the proverbial bandwagon without realising it's been stationary for quite some time already.
Rating: 2/5
Label: Diablo Music
Release date: 3rd May
[url]www.twen2y4se7en.com[/url]
[url]www.diablomusic.com[/url]
Words By Sarah Chapman
