Secrets Keep You Sick

Album Review

The Fold has emerged as its own fine pop/rock entity totally deserving of the attention of the underage pack by virtue of sticky hooks and a glossy, melodic sheen instead of simply being the new project of former Showoff drummer turned Fold frontman Dan Castady. Secrets Keep You Sick is super polished and super easy on the ears, but its lack of any real edge or danger is forgiven in the face of the band just, well, seeming like really nice guys — but you know, the kind that you don't automatically hate on principle alone and who know how to craft a catchy song. Castady's voice sometimes toughens up and reveals a relatively rough edge to prove how much he means something (as in the spacious string-filled "Closer" or the urgent "Down in Doubt and Living Without"), but mostly, it's the charging rhythms and boy-next-door charm of the Fold that makes cuts like pounding opener "Medicine" work. Sometimes the band strays into terrain similar to Fall Out Boy (see the vocal inflections of "Younger Than Our Years" or playful chorus of first single "New Skeptic"), but they never come off as simply trying to ape their peers. (Though really, the acoustic-based "Hey Rebekah" can't help but recall Plain White T's' "Hey There Delilah.") The Fold, with all of their Christian-inspired but never overtly-religious lyrics, does make rather safe music, but then again, Secrets Keep You Sick provides some great moments of catchiness, is easy to sing along to, and washes down easy. Stronger than their debut, this album makes a worthy addition to any Tooth and Nail aficionado's collection.