I never really listened to this band the first time around. I see that they had a run of a few years where they had released three LPs, toured extensively, and disbanded in 2002. So they resurface and bam! Here’s the reformed band and a new record. So this is new territory for me. Right off the bat what comes to my mind is that they remind me of an Irish-influenced version of Against Me! meets One Man Army. But the second track, “Dead & Gone”goes into a different direction. It had a mixture of the Cure meets early Goo Goo Dolls before they went major. My favorite track, right off the bat. But this band gets hard to pigeonhole as you continue listening. They bring a lot of elements to the table. The song structures are multi-layered and yet still calculated. Not one song seems to be from the same camp, which keeps things interesting. This release is a pleasant surprise to my ears, indeed. I was so ready to dismiss this.
–don (Fat)