When it comes to Keep Doing What You're Doing and Grow Up, Dude, I've found it tough to pick a winner. Both are great reasons as to why You Blew It! were one of the bands that kept knocking on your door to let you know that emo never died or went away. As a band that wore their influences on their sleeves but still never shied away from crafting a sound unique and signature to them, You Blew It! continue to develop amazingly.
While their last couple of outlays felt more accessible, these three songs neatly balance a more polished sound and an old-school rough feel which so many emo bands douse themselves in, especially when dropping EPs. There's a lot of Into It. Over It. channeled into "Lanai" which honestly feels like their biggest tribute to the likes of Cap'n Jazz and American Football to date. Guitar-intricate and soothingly melodic. Everything feels cleaner and more open, especially with the group vocals on "Bedside Manor" which quickly loses its high quality production value and tosses in a more garage feel. It's composed very cheekily with these two styles clashing but somehow, working well in tandem with each other.
As "Your Side" winds things down in an organ-filled atmosphere, its slow balladry really hits home and brings something to light that a lot of fans would agree on. You Blew It! are wiser, more confident and very much relaxed in how they tell these stories. In just under 10 minutes, you wonder how much more of these little gems they possess because they feel like a new album's needed. There's something familiar about Pioneer of Nothing yet you sense there's an ever bigger curtain waiting to drop over the hill.