It likely goes without saying but Ulrik Munther, NIKI, Jazmine Sullivan, Donna Missal, Finneas, and Lewis Capaldi — just to name a few of the artists covered on The Other Side — do not all have the same sound, even if they might sometimes share a predilection for emotive, vocal fry solos, especially at the tops of their songs.

Similarly, the bands (or instrumental accompaniment if not strictly a formal band) that back these vocalists vary quite a bit in their sounds. Some are more acoustic, some more electronic. Some rely on the chordal drones of synths and guitars, while others might prefer the plaintive sound of a solo piano. There's a certain character that delineates their music one from the next — or at least, the songs featured here.

To sum up my biggest issue with this Penny Loafers album, then, it's that those distinctive differences are almost entirely obliterated by a sameness of approach — in arranging, in performance, and especially in volume.

Even in the few moments when the Loafs manage to start reasonably small in their sound (Fool For You, Thrills), the group seemingly can barely restrain themselves from getting bigger and louder as quickly as possible. More often than not, their arrangements start with backgrounds that are so full and forward that there is almost nowhere for the song to go; no journey for the listener to take. You've basically arrived at your musical destination by the time the first chorus rolls around; by the second chorus, you've heard all there is to hear; and by the final choruses, it's relentless and overbearing. The soloists are also often not helped by the concept that if they want to wail, everyone else in the group feels the need to wail, too. I get it on a final chorus, perhaps, but not throughout the song.

The issues are not just dynamic, however. Indeed, this is one of those cases where I might have thought the whole album was arranged by one person — such is the consistency of approach — an almost slavish commitment to solo + vp + bass + a generally homophonic block that is either blaring big block chords on "ahh", "ooh", etc., or that same group singing word echoes and/or aca-syllables in unison rhythmic patterns. That sort of thing serves Pentatonix quite well having only five people to work with, but for an ensemble of this size (a dozen-ish or more), the hyper-simplicity of the backing vocals is less forgivable and just not all that compelling.

With all of that said, there is good here and a lot to build on. The group sound is a lively energized one and the Loafs seem to also have an ear for material that isn't as overdone as on many other collegiate albums. Because the arranging palette is seemingly so similar among all of them, perhaps they might try a couple of third party arrangers-for-hire — if only to get a better feel for how to create more nuanced, more layered, and ultimately more engrossing arrangements. And speaking of "feel", greater attention to it in the studio would be most welcome as well — a more concerted effort to retain the essential character of the source material even when filtering/translating it into a cappella. Right now, the group's work is very plain and very "one size fits all", and that generally doesn't show anyone off to their fullest advantage.

When comparing The Other Side to 2022's Holding On, songs and sounds are finally flowing with purpose now, some even carrying us away to enchanting places. Considering I gave the last release a three-pack of "2"s, The Other Side is a marked improvement for the University of Pennsylvania's Penny Loafers.

One year ago, I remarked, "There's no big fireworks-in-the-sky rock opener (or closer) here; the Penny Loafers are more nuanced and emotionally driven." New year, same deal. If you're going the full emo route, however, your arrangements must match the power of the words and moods, and it's here the Penny Loafers both soar and stall.

We get a dark, intense opener with Meaningless, a song that proclaims: "Without me your whole life is f-ing meaningless." Message understood, and the big, burly vp that holds you by the collar gets it, too.

It's a while before we push the music this far again. You can add some studio quick fixes to make things a bit more interesting, a bit more full (such as the heavy-handed reverb in the next tune, Before), but the work in the chart needs to be complete before you record. Works like Nobody need some help creating smoother, more sophisticated lines for the group, as the piece is currently pretty blocky and abrasive. Hold Me While You Wait needed some tweaks before the studio, too; if you're going to keep hitting the heck out of the word "wait", you're now contending with a full ensemble gliding through the "w" and then trying to lock on a long "a" vowel; just a tiny little moment, but when repeated throughout the song, it gives the listener a chance to evaluate the ensemble's technical singing. On The Other Side, that's another area of unevenness. Break My Heart Again, for example, is a bit shaky.

And yet, two songs here are complete stunners, and make me feel guilty about the above criticism. I love Thrills. You'll love Thrills, because it sounds contemporary, strong, and authentic. Lead Ji Soo Kim is simply dazzling; she put in her time learning her instrument and the whole thing is a joy top to bottom. Then there's the beautiful finale, Fallingwater. Percussion is removed from the Maggie Rogers original, giving the Penny Loafers's version a more vulnerable gospel styling that requires the voices to drive the piece forward. There is wow-worthy articulation and phrasing; this is an area that's sometimes lost in recordings vs a live setting, but it comes through crisply here. Great presentation, great full-throated singing. When you end like this, it elevates your whole product. Nice work to Brian McGrath for the bookend arrangements on The Other Side.

There's plenty of growth here. Certainly, you'll admire the difficult source material the Penny Loafers chose to cover, plus some memorable voices along the way.

The Other Side, the newest album from the mixed group Penny Loafers, doesn't have the most complicated arrangements or the flashiest soloists. But a group doesn't need all that to put out a good recording, and on the songs that really click, the Penny Loafers create an enjoyable, solid performance.

Before is one of the most memorable songs here; it's soft and understated, but the soloist conveys the song's emotions beautifully, and the sustained notes amongst the backs create a rich wall of sound that resonates behind him in a really poignant way. It was smart of the Penny Loafers to put this song so early in the track listing, because it sets such an anticipatory tone for what the group can achieve.

Later in the album, Fool For You achieves that same magic: a soloist who sounds great on the song and who stands out over the chords in the backs, plus an arrangement that has just enough movement to keep things interesting for a listener. And Fallingwater is a stunning way to close out the album; that track finds the Penny Loafers firing on all cylinders.

Unfortunately, most of the rest of The Other Side doesn't quite hit those highs. These aren't grossly systemic issues — everyone sounds on pitch, and the soloists are generally well-suited to their songs. But there is a question about whether all of these songs and arrangements fit the sound of the group. The block chords in the backs drag a bit in Break My Heart Again, the pacing on Bust Your Windows seems slow. I'd really like to hear a little more movement in the arrangements to get away from that "wall of sound" feel on just about every song. (It looks as though these arrangements were written by group members or alums; I'd love to hear what an external arranger could do for the group.)

All in all, The Other Side is a pleasant album with a couple of high points. We used to call these "yearbook albums", where it's an excellent snapshot of what the group sounds like and nicely captures these singers together at this point in time. But the high points on The Other Side are just high enough to make me wonder what else the Penny Loafers could achieve with a few tweaks — either a different arranging style or some different choices in the studio — to make these singers really sparkle on the group's choice of songs.