Blog-660x660’99’ is the first release from Dublin based three piece, Half of Me. Written and partially recorded in New York City, this is the first offering from the band who formed in 2012.

While ’99’ is far from being poor it is somewhat uninspired. It seems to redo things that have been done endlessly and it doesn’t really have any sort of set direction. The contrast between the songs doesn’t gel well, and it is a let down because what they’ve done well on the EP is sublime.

Opening track, Cornelia is an absolute gem of a song and paves the way for something exciting and refreshing that should have followed. Comparisons to Interpol and even Director can be heard as the song builds from an ambient intro to infectious indie melodies lead by climbing guitars and thundering bass. It’s the kind of song that sounds familiar even though you’ve only heard it once, and it never fails to embed itself into your head. Math rocky guitars and dreamy vocals lead you through an ambient breakdown that explodes into a big ending.

Sadly though, the remaining three songs are not anywhere near the standard of Cornelia. Title track, 99, is an unexciting song that just doesn’t engage very well. The gritty guitar gets very plain after a verse, and their are no other redeeming factors. The breakdown is uninteresting, the chorus is too repetitive and it’s hard to really understand what it’s trying to be.

Breath is a relatively decent track, featuring guitars reminiscent of The Temper Trap and an interesting build that disappointingly doesn’t really amount to anything. It’s a more mellow and laid back track. A creeping bass line lurks behind the main melodies, and coupled with some interesting vocals, they are the highlights of the song. EP closer Release just doesn’t know what it wants to be. It sounds like a recycling of the three songs that preceded it with added ambient noise in the background.

99 is not a bad EP, but it fails to excite and enthrall, and that’s really the main issue here. Most of what’s on it is so like everything else that it’s hard to really enjoy it when you’re counting the similarities to other songs. Cornelia is a stand out track that shows what Half Of Me are capable of creating. ’99’, as a whole, has no set style, and instead jerks awkwardly from idea to idea, never really settling on one sound. But it is a first release, and hopefully by the next one, their sound will be solidified.

You can listen to the EP on the site here.