Crime in Stereo

Love [7-inch] (2007)

Joe Pelone

On the one hand, Brian Shultz reviewed Crime in Stereo's The Contract EP back in 2005, which makes up four-fifths of the band's Love 7". On the other hand, CiS just got back together and I wanna celebrate, clam flammit. For a while there, CiS was one of my favorite hardcore bands, and Love came out at the height of my obsession.

While Blackout Records dropped The Contract in '05, its vinyl counterpart, Love, didn't come out until 2007 via Run For Cover Records. After falling in love with The Troubled Stateside and the band's live show, I picked up Love at another show in Villanova, Pa. The members were actually embarrassed not to have the final product available and instead sold me a test pressing. That's how nice those dudes got.

Love was a final lap of the "old" CiS sound before the band evolved into something akin to post-hardcore on Is Dead. The Contract songs hold up nicely. "New Harlem Shuffle" could've sat with the Troubled Stateside material, while "Long Song Titles Aren't Cool Anymore Because the Rest of You Fuckers Are No Good at It" succinctly trashes scene politics. "Jesus is My Ride Home" and "Sleeping Androids Do Dream Electric Sheep" (which, five years later, I just noticed is misspelled on the back cover) continue to rock and/or roll.

The 7" closes on an even older song, "The Return of…," which was recorded in 2002. Oh shit, it's the 10th anniversary of the song; this reunion was planned all along. Either way, it packs a neat-o guitar lead and, like the other songs, pack a mean melodic hardcore punch. CiS got even better from here once they started really experimenting, but for those who prefer the more traditional material, Love proves an excellent collector's item. Welcome back, guys.