Who is theKey? That's the question I was asking as I listened. I hadn't heard much about them or their release. I didn't know what to expect when I listened. What I got was a fairly interesting pop/rock album with some nice, rousing hooks.

 

The title comes from the song "Without You" tucked in the latter half of the album. It's a good track with some nice musicianship. "Although I found you here, I am without you" offers accessible lyrics that still offer something a little bit deeper than the obvious surface-level stuff you might expect from a newer pop band. 

 

"I'm the one that made mistakes/You're the one who took the blame" is another standout line from "The Only Thing That's Right." The song is another enjoyable musical entry. In fact, "enjoyable" is a good word to describe the entire album. It doesn't knock you out of your seat with anything amazing or breathtaking, but it's enjoyable.

 

"What I Want" and "Waiting" are fun tracks. "Hey" is a really danceable upbeat number. "No One" has radio airplay written all over it. The album's pretty much a nonstop good time. It's not necessarily the kind of album that will end up topping many year-end lists, but it's a good, clean fun. There's a lot of potential here for some greatness in subsequent releases. Most bands should be this fun out of the gate. But they must build on this if they want to make themselves known. They haven't really defined themselves at this stage, so that should be their next focus with their next release.

 

I liked theKey's release. I'm probably gonna check out their next releases. I don't think I'll be singing these songs for ages. I doubt they'll be getting many plays on iPod. But they're a fun sound to come back to. And for a debut release, that's enough,