My preconceptions of this album were not at all positive. One look at the cover art, logo, album title, song titles, and the band members themselves (super trendy emo look) had me dreading this review. But they certainly proved you can’t quite judge a book by its cover.
Opener “Hated Youth” took me by surprise. It’s catchy as hell, that’s for sure. Sort of has an energetic college rock/ pop-punk feel. Vocalist Tryg Littlefield (no, that’s really his name I guess) has a voice which tried my patience. Sometimes trying too hard, I had trouble not being annoyed at times (his performance on “I Can’t Win” is really bad…). But it’s tolerable for the most part. The production is pretty good, as are the performances. Second track “King of Lies” seems even catchier than the opener. If I was 7 or 8 years younger, I’d probably be all over this shit. Good music for the teenage summers of hanging with friends and all the drama that goes along with that time. Unfortunately, third track “Wake Up My Friend” slacks in the song writing department. It seems forced and amaturish, like some garage band trying to make it.
The rest of the tracks have their moments, but generaly rely on the same formula and sound. Anthemic choruses, driving verses, and it’s pretty rocking throughout. Though they have softer moments (“Pictures On The Wall” and “This Sickness”), they’re infrequent, and never become drenched in sappy self-pity. So check this out if it sounds like something you’d like. But I really can’t imagine anybody over 17 truely enjoying this album.
