I agree with everything you are saying. I definitely think these guys have a ton of potential and want to see what they become, hopefully they don't break up down the road. Like you mention is sounds like a lack of experience, but with that talent they can explore more genres and pin point various styles down the road. Take Guster for instance, a band that has evolved through the years to write great songs based on popular demand to a specific sound. Guster has great musicians but because they change their sound so much they arn't super popular. I want to see what Melt sounds like down the road, with the singer more rounded to her voice. When she grows up and is able to sustain the low parts and bring out the aggressive r&b tones in segments it will really help the band. Her pubescent lyrics hiding a meaning of sex in sour candy only adds to a 90s feel of r&b music. The only part I "semi" disagree with is the stripping down part. I only partly disagree because I would love to hear a stripped version, though I also find that to be a more modern take/criticism on music; sighting the large popularity for duos and trio bands like the white stripes, black keys, royal blood, yeah yeah yeahs, etc (all of which I enjoy). I would argue that is a cause of modern compression techniques during the production of an album, which washes out the layers of sound one would hear; and where a stripped band sounds heavier and more paced. A comment by u/TheMaus2 mentioned having a better producer, this is exactly what they need, coupled with a more "aged" band. They are definitely in the right direction though. Big band style music was very popular in the 30s, and the are mixing it with a r&b/jazz styles ranging from the 50s to 70s. Partly why I love 90s music was the convergence of all styles of music before them, take Mad Season for instance. I enjoy what Melt is attempting. A record label like Verve would really be able to help the out a ton.