At first I thought I was gonna hate this, but while there are aspects of it that irritate me, it's really not so bad, and the band could indeed impress me at some point. It's basically a core of modern emo/screamo with some post-hardcore and rock thrown in. The singing is of the standard variety and can fall on the whiny side, while the screaming seems similarly overdramatic, but the way the vocal arrangements work with the music is pretty effective. Plus, the playing is rather tight and I actually like a lot of the music, which throws in everything from melodic lead lines and standard power chords to stuttered chunkiness and other such metallic smatterings, not to mention octave chords and dissonant textures, etc. "Us" is the shortest and most frantic composition, with chaotic vocal arrangements and lots of discordant note choices that catch my ear early on, so I'd like to hear them explore that a little more in the future, especially in regards to how they balance that stuff out with clean chords and direct melody. "Place Your Bets" runs through a shitload of changes most effectively, and also drops some of the most powerful chord progressions, interestingly weaving some pretty straightforward staples amidst a lot of creative intricacies that definitely point to a lot of promises for these kids; followed closely by "Say Hello to Ajulia", which uses midpaced chords to make more efficient use of the heaviness. Some of the clean passages in this one lessen the blow, but the distorted chords and buildups are definitely on point. There's a lot of layering going on throughout the EP, so I think the recording needs more clarity, but it sounds alright for the most part. The vocals dominate the mix since they're clearer than the guitars, so the guitars and bass need the most work. The vocals and drums both sound pretty good for what they offer, but some of the nuances get lost in the guitar parts, and the basslines aren't always prominent enough to thicken the mix. I'd suggest making the distorted guitars as clear as possible and slipping the vocals down a notch or two so they rest against the guitars better. The biggest problem is that there are some tuning issues sometimes, which is absolutely painful during the opening of "Greeneyes", so that's something that should absolutely be kept in check next time around. The layout looks pretty good. Some of the fonts used are a little off, but the photos are of a strong quality, and I really like the tiny yet tightly arranged text inside the booklet. The lyrics don't do much for me but they are longer and a little more creative than most such bands, so they do have that working in their favor. It's kind of your usually abstract personal stuff as far as subject matter goes, but the delivery does have more to it. They're not really there yet, but I bet younger kids would eat this shit up already, and I won't be surprised if the band moves on to bigger and better things as they progress naturally over time. Not bad. A little underdeveloped, but not bad.
[School Night]
Running time - 22:54, Tracks: 7
[Notable tracks: Us, Place Your Bets, Say Hello to Ajulia]
School Night Records - http://www.schoolnightrecords.com
