Disc review: The Throwdowns, Don’t Slow Down

This review was originally published on Exclaim!

The Throwdowns Don’t Slow Down By Ronak Ghorbani With their debut EP, Don’t Slow Down, Hawaiian outfit the Throwdowns prove to be a talented band that have yet to find their sound. Instead of fusing their reggae rock, indie, punk, country and rockabilly influences, the Throwdowns dedicate a song to each genre and come off sounding like a completely different band on all of them. “Redemption on the Dancefloor” has a reggae feel, with trilling horns, and vocalist Erin Smith shows off her full, deep, feminine voice, rolling her R’s ravenously. But all the island spirit is lost in their next tune, “Stolen Car,” which drops the band’s groove for disco drums, distorted guitar and Metric-like vocals. A few minutes later on “Take a Swing,” accompanied by strings and lightly strummed acoustic guitar, Smith gets generically country, singing about a bar fight. Although their musicianship is tight and structured, with well-written lyrics, the abrupt jumps between genres are disruptive. (Independent)