Up the chimney or down the pit were once the only options for those at school who wished to express themselves creatively but now the path to creative nirvana seems always to involve being in a band. So it duly came to pass that an EP called "Don't Hold Back" by The Modests – who are apparently all at school – ended up in front of this firing squad.
Perhaps you are thinking that an execution is on the cards but sometimes I get this humanitarian urge to forgive so while this EP is undoubtedly exactly what you would expect of a band at the start of their musical adventure, there is grounds hope in there. Musically, they struggle in every song, with "0705412355", in particular, stumbling into every pothole on the road to mediocrity previously travelled by every other local indie rock band. However, underneath it all is an otherwise decent set of pop songs ("Don't Hold Back" and "Lucy's Fur Coat" are an embarrassment to no one) with something of a sixties feel and that bodes well for this band.
The Modests, perhaps fortunately, have plenty of time to develop their own sound and, who knows, they might surprise us all and that would indeed be the best surprise of all. Maturity, after all, often brings its own rewards.