On Sonic Avenues’ newest full-length, the band ventures into a much more (dare I say) mature songwriting approach. The Avenues’ soaring melodies I grew fond of have been toned down a bit in favor of an overall less poppy-sounding album while retaining their tightness and sophistication. In drumming up comparisons, I came up with the Buzzcocks meets the Psychedelic Furs and I stand by that assessment. Although I do have the vinyl version, I’ve spent a little more time with this album in my car’s CD player. You know you’re listening to a banger when you don’t skip any of the tracks and let the album play over again. –Juan Espinosa (Dirtnap / Blow The Fuse, blowthefuserecords.com)