It wouldn't necessarily make sense since they play energetic hardcore/pop-punk (But "pop-punk" in a Lifetime kind of way, and there's no better way, is there?), but holy shit do I hope these dudes named their band after the Mobb Deep song! But anyway, this is a fuckin' great disc, kicking out a little over 20 minutes of really catchy material that sounds a lot like None More Black and Kid Dynamite to me. In fact, the vocals sound so similar to the aforementioned bands that they almost seem unoriginal to me, what with that otherwise uniquely raspy texture to their blend of singing and yelling, but I love the vocals and I love the music, so I don't particularly care. Expect a blend of speedily rocked out hardcore/punk with a little bit of added heaviness to the guitar tone to counterbalance the overtly melodic accents that are going on at all times. No song hits three minutes, so they just pound 'em out, make their mark, and call it a day. "Please Read" is a little more straightforward and hardcore oriented with a few quick pop-punk styled stuttered picking patterns and a great breakdown that, like all such breakdowns within this context, adds catchiness and force without being a "mosh" kind of thing in any way; "I Trys" has a softer intro and uses a little more dissonance behind its pounding basslines and fast paced power chords; "Attitude is the Agent" offers a couple of significant shifts including one break of bass and samples that quickly builds back in with open guitar chords; "Jersey Beach-Pail" and "I Take" offer a back to back blast of subtly more in your face hardcore midway through the disc without completely shunning melody (which I think would be an impossible task for a band like this); and "Sheep vs. Lynx" is a total classic, chock full of traditional hardcore breaks with quick little arpeggios and nonstop energy even during the slightly slower break towards the end. The recording kicks ass as well, with a totally crisp sound that's loud and pops out with a balanced mix. The guitars are thick but have enough brightness to really let the melodic aspects stand apart, the bass is even thicker and really adds some pounding density to the rhythm section, the percussion is totally natural and has a nice snap going on, and the vocals are well placed in the mix. It really sounds surprisingly polished and professional, but not to the point of being overdone, so I truly commend them for what they've achieved there. The layout could use a bit of work just because some of the artwork is a little disjointed, but for the most part it looks fine and I like the way the lyrics are compactly arranged. The content is of course personal and deals with your usual topics of relationships and kind of looking for the most out of life, but the approach is sincere and I'm cool with that: "Save me the pain of ever knowing that my years are less than the fingers on my hand. I don't care to know..." In the end, I mean, if you've ever heard None More Black or Kid Dynamite you more or less know exactly what this CD sounds like, and I admittedly have a little bit of a hard time with that fact, but I simply can't deny the catchiness of these songs. This one's definitely gonna be in my rotation for awhile, so even though I'd encourage the band to push for a little more of their own sound as they move forward, this is still fuckin' awesome, and I'm way into it. Good work.
[Endwell]
Running time - 21:58, Tracks: 12
[Notable tracks: Panic Attack (On the Terraces), Attitude is the Agent, I Take, Sheep vs. Lynx]
Endwell Records - http://www.endwelletc.com
