#jillandkate

Then: My memory is hazy, but I think I came across Jill & Kate song “Never Over You” white reading a fanfic. Let's see, I downloaded their music in October 2013, so that meant...One Direction fanfics? That's not right; I became a fan of 1D sometime in 2014, between the releases of Midnight Memories and Four. It's gotta be either Twilight, Buffy, or Star Trek: TNG. None of these options feel right, but I suppose Twilight makes the most sense.

I guess the full story of how I was introduced to Jill & Kate will have to remain a mystery.

Now: This country-tinged pop album is nice. It features sweet and pretty vocal harmonies that hearken to idyllic summers of teenage love, and laid back instrumentation that feels effortless. (Of course, we all know that it takes a lot of work to make songs sound so relaxed and easy.) Unfortunately, this album is a little too nice, lacking in unique touches that would make it memorable. In fact, this album sounds old, as if it came from 2002 instead of 2012 when it was recorded. That acoustic guitar line on “I Come Alive”? I swear it heard it from the Goo Goo Dolls or Incubus before. “Burn It Down”? Early Augustana but with better vocals. “Skinny Jeans” and “My Love”? Pure Taylor Swift from her curly-haired days.