The Dutch band “Destine” has already toured through 15 countries and played alongside Green Day, Fall Out Boy, 30 Seconds to Mars, New Found Glory, and Paramore. It's quite impressive considering they only started in 2007. Their style strongly resembles “Jimmy Eat World,” with a gentle touch of “30 Seconds To Mars” and “The All-American Rejects.” The new album “Illuminate” was produced, among others, by James Paul Wisner, who has also supported Paramore with his skills.
However, the music is more like pop-punk for dreamy girls, and I must admit right away that it’s not really my thing. The often-used choral singing strongly reminds me of bands like the “Jonas Brothers.” This is further emphasized by the youthful voice of the singer and the “Wohoo” and “Aaaahaaahaa” singing of the rest of the band.
Dreamy melodies like in “All the People,” which slightly reminds one of the first album by “Angels & Airwaves,” run like a common thread through the album. Generally, the songs are mostly rocky, but you can't shake the feeling that they are making music just for the girls (I already mentioned dreamy).
Instrumentally, they have a rich sound and incorporate piano and violins.
Conclusion: I do enjoy “dreamy” music from time to time and am a fan of all the mentioned comparisons (except for the Jonas Brothers), but I feel they have not yet found their own style or are being pushed too much in this mainstream direction; they imitate other bands too much. They handle their instruments well, especially I like the drums. However, it’s not music for intense listening (not for me), but it certainly works very well for the radio, as they have proven with their single “Stay,” which stayed on the playlist of Holland's largest radio station for 9 months. I would also be happy in the future if at least something “emo-rockish” comes on the radio instead of “Take That & Co.” Although the song “Illuminate” does drift strongly towards boy band territory.
