Designer Magazine
Josh Doyle is back with "The End Of Fear EP" which sounds more mature and adventurous than his former band. The title track sounds like an semi-acoustic version of Lostprophets with lyrics such as "I want to do something great before I grow older. There's nothing worse than being mediocre". At other times such as "Boy Racer", a song complete with a drum'n'bass, pulsing bass and minimalistic stark guitar riffs, he sounds not unlike cult Brit Patrick Wolf. On "Solar Storm" he reveals himself to be a classic songwriter with just an acoustic this song shines out as one of the best he's ever written. Whether you were a fan of the Dum Dums or not this EP is an essential purchase."
DESIGNER MAGAZINE, UK
#1 IN DECEMBER CHART
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Sound The Sirens
Josh Doyle, The End of Fear
Josh Doyle, formerly of the post-punk pop band The Dumdums and other various projects, is no stranger to the music biz, and it shows on this incredibly well-crafted EP. The End of Fear is filled with acoustic pop songs that have a nice and sometimes dark indie feel with plenty of interesting programmed bells and whistles, a la David Gray. It�s sort of like mixing electronica with Howie Day and Ari Hest, except Doyles voice has a lot more character and an interesting edge to it.
The other good news is that Doyles lyrics are as clever as John Mayer thinks he is. More so, actually. The EP tells a coming-of-age story for someone in his early- to mid-twenties. Its that spot in life where you know you should be doing something important, and you want to, but you just don't know what that is yet. And just settling isn't an option. In "The End of Fear", Doyle pleads, "Wake up / Come off your medication / Wake up / And change your situation / You are still alive". Zach Braff and Josh Doyle should commiserate. Even a song about love is complicated by that stagnant, frustrating life situation in Aphrodite he sums it up: People are saying / I should be putting roots down for the future / But time is running out to be that person / I want to do something great before I get older / There's nothing worse than being mediocre. Nicely put.
Doyle is consistently heartfelt, never whiny, and almost always conveys a distinct emotion, especially in the two tracks mentioned above and the final track, "Become Beautiful",a seven-minute song that mixes the acoustic and electronic sides of Doyles music the best. And it's not seven minutes because of an annoying repetitive loop (see Jimmy Eat Worlds "Goodbye Sky Harbo" and Midtowns "So Long as We Keep Our Bodies Warm We're Safe").
The weak point is Boyracer. The vocal melodies are fairly repetitive and the song gets covered by way too much electronica from producer Sam Shacklock (who, on the rest of the EP, does a good job of not overpowering Doyles voice and guitar). The lyrics are little sloppier on this song as well. Same theme, but not quite as potent.
Overall, though, its an impressive debut and separates Doyle well from other singer-songwriters. If youre in that limbo between mid-college and late twenties, its a therapeutic must-have. If youre not convinced, check out the downloadable sample at his website.
Reviewed by
Joel Oliphint
April 1st, 2005
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The Mag UK
8/10
Reappearing in an unexpectedly fresh way, Josh Doyles "The End of Fear" e.p. has the marks of creative genius all over the emotional tracks, which vary from industrious (with sampled rhythms and layered guitars) to chilled acoustic.
The title track opens with a mysterious muted guitar sound flanked by crackly samples shooting from left to right This is soon followed by a crashing wave of guitars and stuttered rhythm breaks that lead into a slowly building verse.
The intention of a very strong chorus is utterly clear and the chorus doesnt disappoint with lyrics and melody combining perfectly to form a peak to the general upbeat message of the song. If you dont find yourself singing "Wake up. Come off your medication..." after listening to this song, then you need to ask someone to check your pulse.
The other songs on the disk include "Aphrodite" and "Solar Storm", which are a bit more acoustic. However, the sampled backdrops still feature in some of the beats that form the foundations of the songs, "Boy Racer" (which is probably the most electronic sounding track on the album - eerie samples and programming provide the sole accompaniment to the vocal) and "Become Beautiful", which rounds off the record with an epic bitter sweet anthem.
The lyrics throughout this record lay bare many of Josh Doyles own fears. Emotional strains and heartache feature as well as a fear of being mediocre and ordinary. Perhaps, as the order of the lyrics on the inlay card suggest, these are the fears that are going to be ended by this release. If this is the case, I would have to say that "The End of Fear" should already be labelled a great success.
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Cross Rhythms
9/10
Reviewed by Mike Rimmer
In 2000 Josh Doyle fronted The Dum Dums who looked like they were going to explode into success at the same sort of level that Busted later achieved. Instead, after four top 30 hit singles and a buzz in the UK and Japan, the band fragmented under the pressures of pop success. Josh disappeared to America to lick his wounds and get his head together. Now he's back with a calling card EP to introduce some solo material that he's just putting out himself while he thinks about eventually maybe getting a record deal! What you get are five songs recorded in Nashville and sounding mighty fine! "The End Of Fear" opens proceedings and is the biggest in terms of overall sound and immediately captivating. "Aphrodite" is acoustic guitar-driven and lyrically purposefully self-conscious with one of those hooky chorus things going on that won't escape your head. "Boyracer" is more urgent and percussive whilst the acoustic "Solarstorm" feels vulnerable. The epic "Become Beautiful" closes things off and leaves you understanding that this EP is a CD of many moods. It's good to hear new stuff from Josh. Undoubtedly talented, it shouldn't be long before he'll re-emerge from exile and the bosom of his family to reclaim his rock star status (even if he's had his hair cut).
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Music Shopper
Josh Doyle : The End of Fear E.P.
Our Rating: 78 out of 100
Lets get the biog stuff out the way first shall we�
It's kind of apt that Josh Doyle is bringing this E.P. out right now, after all he was in a band a little while back called The Dumdums and they were like Busted before Busted, right down to having the same haircuts and the same producer.
Josh is fully aware of this he has written about it at length on his blog on http://www.joshdoyle.com and I have a feeling he'll see the bittersweet echoes of Charlie Simpson's walk-out disintegrating Busted just as Josh's walk-out spelled the end for The Dumdums.
And thus the comparisons reach a fork in the road, whilst Charlie has gone down emo avenue Josh has opted for something a bit more melodic. His guitars do rock but there's no mopey teenage rock here.
The End of Fear E.P. is a sterling debut effort, an eclectic display of all of Josh�s moods and talents. There�s acousticy bits and rocky, indie bits and elsewhere drums and beats and electro noises and the obligatory 80s references.
I can imagine the first track "The End of Fear" being played in The OC, it sounds cool and American, theres a lot of soul and lots of feeling and its just, well, wholesome.
Doyle's vocals are gravely but tender, best displayed on "Aphrodite" and set off nicely by the acoustic accompaniment. This boy's got a bit of soul and he's not afraid to share it with the world. "Boyracer" is the electro interlude, slightly darker and stripped bar twiddly noise, with an addictive hook.
This is a good showcase of what Josh can do and I look forward to hearing more of the same.
Jenni Silver
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Absolute Punk
Josh Doyle
The End of Fear EP
7.7/10
01. The End Of Fear
02. Aphrodite
03. Boyracer
04. Solarstorm
05. Become beautiful
Josh Doyles debut EP is acoustic rock accompanied with electronic drum beats and effects. Right off the bat, the first track "The End of Fear" hooked me with its dark, driving chord changes and quirky drum beats. Joshs voice is very British and reminds me of early Muse at times. Its almost haunting as it counters his music. The rest of the CD follows a similar format to the first song, with upbeat drumming and thick synth effects. Joshs voice runs through the songs in a spacey manner. The real gem of the CD is the third track, "Boyracer". This song is completely electronica-driven. Listeners will be able to detect a hint of BT in this song as trademark techno effects are used on both Joshs voice and his drum beats. The album then takes a step back to a classic acoustic song, where Josh's voice is strong and full for really the first time on the EP. Nothing is held back on "Solarstorm" as Josh pours his emotions out. The guitar work is nothing to sneeze at either. The final track is an 8 minute epic journey that brings all the pieces together as synth effects and beats balance Joshs strong acoustic guitar.
Every single time I desired something more out of this EP, I got it in the next track. The EP gets progressively better as it goes on and on. The production is one of my only problems with this album. While it is not unbearable by any means, there are times where the synth beats mix somewhat awkwardly with the acoustic guitar. But for a debut EP, it is truly stellar work. All the pieces are there for Josh to be an incredible artist; they just need to be put together. Each song is just a little different, one track contains no synth, another contains no guitar. His best work is when he balances his instruments perfectly, and that only happens in the final track. Nonetheless, this is a must own EP for fans of The Postal Service or acoustic singer/songwriters like Howie Day.
Reviewed by Scott Weber
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Phantom Tollbooth
The End of Fear
Artist: Josh Doyle
Label: GBR
Length: 5 songs/25:25
Josh Doyle, late of the Dum Dums, ventures out on his own with his debut EP The End of Fear. A five-song acoustic-flavored hodgepodge, The End of Fear provides a showcase for Doyles understated, but immense talents.
The first tune, the title track, features power pop with some electronic trash thrown in for good measure. "Aphrodite" is radio-friendly with its accessible sound and appropriately wistful lyrics. The ballads 'Solarstorms" and "Become Beautiful" deliver their intended purpose, with the former doing so in a less-clich�d manner than the latter.
The heavy Boyracer is pure electronica and seems completely out of place on the album, but it sure does make the speakers thump.
The End of Fear signals a good start for Doyles career. A full-length release from him should be interesting to see as to which direction musically he pursues.
Noel Lloyd 4/3/2005
***1/2 stars
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Sellout Magazine
Josh Doyle
The End Of Fear EP
GB Recordings
Josh Doyle is a solo artist who he would sound just as comfortable fronting an emo band. All the elements of good singer-songwriting are here - personal lyrics and acoustic guitar. But Josh is unafraid to bring more into his sound. Big guitars and the occasional injection of drum machines give his music a broad palate. This definitely rocks harder than the Damien Rices of the world but doesn't sacrifice the confessional feel of the music. This short EP is a small, but optimistic.
Brad Filicky
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Sounds XP
Josh Doyle The End Of Fear EP
GBrecordings
Article written by Graham S
Mar 6, 2005.
Hands up who remembers The Dumdums? Right, you can both put your hands down now. In the late 90s these Brit-Blink powerpoppers were on the way up: tour slots with walking ego Robbie Williams, a Top 20 album, legions of adoring females, the rock' n' roll dream becoming reality. Then, on the cusp of success, frontman Josh Doyle split the band, relocated to Nashville, and fell silent. Eaten by self-criticism and self-doubt, Doyle at last walks out of the wilderness with the cathartic, redemptive and therapeutic "The End Of Fear EP". Fortunately this collection of emo folktronica finds Doyle's creative juices flowing like Niagara falls.
The title track is a life-affirming burst of acoustic rock; multi-layered guitars (all played by Doyle) enhanced by fizzing samples, and lyrics with more uplift than Playtex: �"the resistance that you're finding, is only in your mind/the things you thought were binding have lost their power to bind". Aphrodite is muted folk-flavoured strummery backdropped by subtle hints of techno, Solar Storm (after a few seconds of Razorlight's Golden Touch) is emotion-drenched played-straight acoustic balladry, while Become Beautiful is the Big Closer; tenderly epic and laced with haunting strings, it's an inspirational song of hopefulness, "just make the most of what you've got/nobody cares if you fail or not/try to be who you promised to be/you are still young, so set yourself free".
But what stands out like a mohawk at a skinhead convention is Boyracer. Pure electronica, its Radiohead circa 'Kid A' covering The Police; chock full of bleeps, beats and squiggles, its also masterfully catchy. Mr Doyle, an album please.
