Lemuria sounds eerily like Half Fiction-era Discount—the woman’s voice is dead-on. I have no idea if that’s what they were shooting for, but that’s what I’m hearing, right down to the slightly off pop structures and lilting vocal rhythms. It’s good stuff for sure. But then I flip the record and I’m totally confused. What the hell happened to Frame? I really thought they were onto something on their recent split 7” with Karate For Kids. On that record, they seemed poised right on ye olde precipice between “good pop punk” and “really good pop punk,” but their two songs on this record sound like a godawful mix of Amber Inn and, ugh, Promise Ring or something. It makes my skin crawl and sounds like a watered-down soundtrack for an art film, like if emo came in Budweiser cans. Guys, what happened?
–keith (Salinas/Art Of The Underground)