Local Ear: Treaty Of Paris

By Tankboy in Arts & Entertainment on Nov 6, 2007 7:18PM

Treaty Of Paris is one of those bands that doesn't get a lot of critical acclaim, despite the fact that they've been plugging away at the local scene for a number of years, under a couple different guises. We suppose one reason for this is the band's chosen genre, which we would say falls somewhere on the FUSE-friendly emo-pop-punk radar. What we're trying to figure out is when exactly that sort of thing became a reason to ignore a band that obviously has built up a pretty loyal fan base through a combination of hard work -- the band is literally on tour through the end of this year -- and well constructed pop songs.

We're not entirely above such preconceptions, which is why it probably took us until their debut full-length to really give the band an honest listen. And we admit we went into Sweet Dreams, Sucker fully expecting to walk away with a handful of snarky clichés we would use to write the band off. The thing is, Treaty Of Paris ended up actually writing a bunch of good songs that, while well-produced, are not the lifeless nuggets of studio sheen that usually plagues the genre. Instead the band emphasizes melody over angst, and displays an impressive grasp of counter melody and vocal arrangement.

Some songs leap completely outside all expectations. For instance "Rollerskates" is a boppy little tune that could have easily come out of a band like Jellyfish. And the loping "New Improved" is far more Southern power-pop than MTV-ready mall-rock. It's in these moments that Treaty Of Paris' greatest strengths lie, and it's down these paths the band will have to travel in order to gain more indie-friendly press. At the same time the band seems to be doing just fine without the critics, and as long as they keep writing songs like the ones on Sweet Dreams, Sucker they're sure to keep their fans on board.

Image of the band from their MySpace page