Let's Go Exploring! have a rugged quality about their brand of beardpunk-minding post-hardcore, Do Work. That wouldn't normally be a bad thing, but between the thin, lo-fi presentation, extraneous song lengths and unfortunate lack of memorability, there's sadly little motivation to follow either adventurous tip.

A throaty, earnest demeanor gives opener "Sugafootin'" some slack, but the tone feels too choppy and trebly, and something else is largely missing. There's kind of an Our Own Wars vibe for "Oh, So This Is What Air Feels Like", only with even shittier production. What would be a cool guitar bridge in "Ya Gotta Let the Swamps Be the Swamps" sounds flawed and tinny, too.

Moving on, "Why I Wear This Hat" has a very disconnected, sloppy flow and there doesn't sound like there's much energy or conviction behind it. But "I Recommend Being Sweet" has a surprisingly touching and graceful opening, and it's a quality you'd hope the band explores further at some point–a rare moment that seems to really jump out.

The vocals...the vocals can be pretty rough at times. There's a little too much strain here and there that doesn't complement things well enough, like on "Bring in the Cougar" and its otherwise heartstring-tugging guitars that come up at one point. That's another strange thing–for such playful titles, there's a really sad and discomforting vibe all throughout Do Work, and the lack of effective execution just makes it sadder and more pitiful.

I want to believe in Let's Go Exploring!. I really do. But Do Work isn't doing it. There's large tinges of acts like Small Brown Bike and even their compadres the Casket Lottery at times here, but LGE! are nowhere close to capturing what make those bands so special on Do Work. The heart's occasionally there; the expression needs, well, work.

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Do Work