MILESTONES — RED LIGHTS — THE REVIEW
Anyone looking for new and true pop rock doesn’t have to look further than Milestones’ recently released album, Red Lights. Blending pop vocal melodies with guitar-heavy riffs and breakdowns, each track on this album is the perfect balance of edgy rock-n-roll and sweet, easy listening.
Tracks like the album’s lead single “Paranoid” and “Liar” nail the band’s balance of walking between the two genres. In “Paranoid,” it’s the first track for Milestones to really flex their skill of perfectly mastering the pop rock blend. It has some more rock-leaning riffs than the other tracks, but still maintains the melodic pop vocals. Lyrically it’s one of the best tracks on Red Lights, telling the story of being haunted by an ex-lover who left the relationship. In “Liar,” the track starts off quiet, before hitting the first chorus and bringing out the rock riffs for listeners. Although not the best lyrics off the album, listeners can feel the anger and bitterness coming from the smooth, pop vocals.
Despite the excellent genre-balance, Milestones does have some misses in a few of the tracks. With having such a simple-listening sound, it can be all too easy for listeners to miss tracks when they’re all sound too similar. Opening tracks like “BitterSweetHeart” and “Once Upon A Time” are both okay tracks, leaning toward the more pop side of their sound. It’s good listening, but cliche lyrics and not-engaging sound make them not very memorable. “Eightteen” and “Forever or Never” are two more tracks later on the album with a similar issue. There’s just no spark to really pull the listener in to give it their full attention.
Overall I thought Milestones did okay with Red Lights. I really did enjoy listening to the album, and I think they’ve done an excellent job in mastering the line between pop and rock. However too many tracks on the album weren’t as engaging as they could have been and they started to blend together. It’s a good album, and I just wish it could’ve been better.
Rating: 3/5
Top Tracks: “Paranoid” and “Liar”