Creating Generative Value

Pop punk act We Are the In Crowd stood out in the scene for a couple of reasons. While their ability to write catch pop hooks was up there with some of the best in their genre, they turned heads for having a female lead singer in what was a very male-dominated industry. Tay Jardine’s vocals and song-writing were anything but formulaic, but it was in part down to her presence they caught people’s attention, as she stood out in a scene with what must be said isn’t the most diverse.

When the band sidled into a hiatus without word of warning (it was a good six months before anyone realized they’d broken up), it was a shame to see. Songs like Rumour Mill, The Best Thing That Never Happened and Windows in Heaven were all proof of a young band finding their feet in their career with the potential to really explode in the future.

This is what makes the revelation of Sainte exciting. Jardine, along with fellow WATIC members Cameron Hurley and Mike Ferri, are yet to officially launch their new band, but showed off a teaserfor their debut single Technicolour lastweek.

With Jordan Eckersley (guitars and vocals) and Rob Chianelli (drums) no longer with the band, it remains to be seen exactly what effect this will have on the remaining member’s music. I can’t help but hark back to one of the few other female-led scene bands who made a name for themselves.

When Paramore co-founders and brothers Josh (lead guitar) and Zac Farro (drums) departed the band in 2012, it hastened what was a dramatic change in the band’s sound, style and image. Losing a guitarist AND a drummer, two instruments intrinsically linked to Paramore’s sound, saw the band revamp everything.

Gone were the crunching guitars and fiery hooks, overtaken by the pop sensibilities which were always evident in the band’s music, but had been kept in the background. Hayley Williams went from writing songs of anger and spite to ones of self-love and confidence. It was a seismic changed which the band pulled off.

Will We Are the In Crowd make the same smooth transition Paramore did? Or, will they adopt an “if it aint’ broke, don’t fix it” approach and return to their old sound? I guess we’ll find out soon enough.