Electric Touch is off to an audacious debut with its radio-friendly, riff-packed, self-titled album on Justice Records. Though only a unit for a short year, Electric Touch delivers a pleasant glam-rock shock to its audiences with their arena-ready amalgam of gritty Brit rock, SF punk and Austin indie sounds. With unabashed enthusiasm, the album buzzes with charging, anthemic power pop songs delivered by Shane Lawlor, the raspy British lead singer, and backed by hard-driving Texan rockers. The collision of cultures results in killer melodies and huge hooks that speak to influences ranging from the Arctic Monkeys and Oasis to the Killers and Kings of Leon. Electric Touch has quickly built a following, performing at Coachella, Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza and SXSW in the past year alone. The commanding stage presence is captured well on the album. “Love in Our Hearts” and “Who Put the Fire Out” provide colossal choruses and rollicking riffs that are hard to ignore. Halfway through “Don’t Be Afraid,” I found myself singing along to the catchy, shamelessly sunny lyrics. Don’t try to deny it when Electric Touch has you shaking your hips and pumping your fists to its escapist, electric shockwave sound.
--Jenna Glass [September 4, 2008]
