Failsafe has been together since 2005 and all the band members are from Preston, UK. They are the first act to be signed to Cardboard Empire, which is owned and run by American rock band, Hawthorne Heights. “Routines” is Failsafe’s third full album release, but it is also their first album that will be released in the United States. They have been rocking Europe and their songs were used in several TV sitcoms, but now they are trying to break into the U.S. market.

Failsafe has a good and unique sound, but on “Routines,” it always felt like they were missing something. Either the instrumentals were really well done, but the lyrics or vocals needed some improvement or vice versa. The only fully complete songs on this album were “Early Hours” and “The Persistence of Memory.” All the other songs on the album felt like they needed another component to make it better. I can picture some of their songs in the background on some American TV sitcoms as well, but they need to make the stated improvements.

“Routines” wasn’t a bad album, but it wasn’t a great album either. They did do a good job of showcasing what they are capable of, but they just need to do a better job of bringing all that talent together. Failsafe has a lot of potential to be great and in the mainstream American pop culture, but they have some work to do. For those reasons, I am giving this CD a “C-.”