There’s nothing safer than mimicking your favorite groups. It’s an easy road to instant acceptance. At the very worst you’ll be compared to your idols even if it’s in a negative way, and there’s always the crowd that’s too slow to know you’re ripping somebody off, anyway. Bands like Tiara get on my nerves because they play well enough, but the music is so unadventurous and contrived. I’ll go ahead and get the Built To Spill reference out of the way. Clearly, vocalist Eric Rottmayer listened to Perfect From Now On a lot. A whole lot. Tiara’s songs display blatant pop sensibilities with psychedelic leanings but also an unfortunate tendency to meander aimlessly much like Built To Spill without the tension or the hooks.

Eric Rottmayer’s voice is bland and inconspicuous. The heavily effects-laden songs try to rock out occasionally but end up sounding like watered down Polvo. This album is the definition of average. There are snippets of melodies that will perk up your ears and even a few mildly interesting changes, but I dare say that this band would bore you into oblivion live. Tiara never once pushes a single boundary. Instead, it safely assumes the mannerisms of what’s already established and accepted in the indie rock world and tries to exploit it. Sensitively, of course.