Grown Ups

More Songs (2010)

Joe Pelone

Grown Ups take Castevet's post-hardcore noodling and wed it to Lifetime's sweet, nasally hardcore jams, which is a roundabout way of saying that er'rybody needs to buy the group's new album More Songs. These are two great tastes that rock faces together. While the album admittedly gets a little repetitive in the back half, More Songs still serves up some quality jams just in time for summer.

"Weed Science" opens with Andy Tokarski's booming bass, with drummer Jacob Bonham chomping at the kit to fire off some thunderous beats. Then the song pulls a surprise punch with the guitars. Instead of the typical distorted strumming one would expect, guitarists Doyle Martin and Adam Sheets bust out angular, intricate, dub-inspired licks. While the band certainly doesn't sound like the more expansive Castevet, they are aesthetic siblings. Just as Castevet proved that hardcore can inject vitality into post-rock, Grown Ups prove that a little post-rock can bring some diversity to hardcore. Which is why "Weed Science" is such a brilliant opening track; it psyches out the listener, then reveals that the band has totally got this shit on lockdown. It also more or less represents where the rest of the songs go.

"Johnny Edwards" and "Orange Cat" slow the tempo a little, but for the most part, More Songs delivers fast-paced beats and gang vox a-plenty. It's a welcome shift to a tried ‘n' true dynamic, and at 35 minutes, it doesn't overextend itself too much. Open-minded kids who dig Jersey's Best Dancers and Some Kind of Cadwallader should want to get all up on More Songs.