untitled (halo) fail to blaze a trail on their self-titled debut

Although genre tags are still used to impose some semblance of order, bands like SoCal's untitled (halo) are proof of modern music's ever more lawless, label-fluid pursuits. Clearly well-eared, and with a genuinely innovative sound that pulls from hip hop, Philly shoegaze noise, and digicore-meets-cloud pop, to name just a few, untitled (halo)'s reference points are both diverse and unexpected. What it's all added up to over the band's two EPs so far has been interesting enough to drum up quite some buzz for this full-length debut, but the album casts its net so widely that any sense of identity they might have had before now feels strangely neutered, and sometimes lost completely. Opening pair "aimee lou wood freestyle" and "how to make your love (stay)" have the general air of a TAGABOW 'loosy'. They are specific in their online-ness, an unmistakable fusion of the records their creators love. But being a music nerd isn't the only fundament required to make quality work. A sample of the lyrics: "My bitch is so bad / You're so mad because i'm everything you lack" and "Don't touch me if you ain't touching stacks." If this was a west coast rap record, a listener might say "That sound...