It is dangerous to compare any band to an act as enormously successful as Pink Floyd, but that is the initial impression I got when I first heard the music of Auckland band, Crash Test for Favourite Things.

The sound of Crash Test is one of a band that is unafraid to defy the barriers of genre and experiment with their music. Their latest album, We all want to be just like you, sounds polished, professional and unique, but most of all, highly creative. The band has deliberately tried to stay away from a bland popular music sound, or what they term “average American crap”, and have achieved this very effectively.

Lyrically, a lot of the album seems to switch between a societal critique and a commentary on the so-called “human condition”, but in spite of this, the band largely manages to avoid anti-establishment clichés. The lyrics in all the songs are insightful, and demonstrate the hard work that has gone into this recording.

Musically, the album is even stronger. The band demonstrate an ability to write good songs over a wide range of genres, ranging from the heavier alternative rock sound in The Secret to the softer melodic sound of the opening track Guards. The one instrumental track on the EP, Rise, was also interesting, although it was difficult to decide whether it added to or detracted from the rest of the songs. My favourite song would have to be the fifth track, Unsatisfied, which changes time signature a couple of times, something which the band seem rather fond of doing.

Overall, I was very impressed with the sound that Crash Test had to offer. The willingness of the band to experiment and the diversity of the tracks made We all want to be just like you a recording which I am sure I will listen to many more times yet, so for this reason, I would highly recommend it.

Check out Crash Test for Favourite Things on NZ Beats Show #41
Reviewed by Luke
Check out Crash Test for Favourite Things website or check out their myspace page