Run Forever have always been that indie band on the cusp of bigger things. If you're a fan of the genre, you've seen the likes of TWIABP and The Hotelier take off, and deservedly so, and to be honest, going into this record, I felt Run Forever would be that jump made. The self-titled isn't bad at all but slips into territory where bands like Title Fight, Superheaven and Citizen fell off recently. There's a thick sense of '90s brooding emo (less distorted and hazy in this instance) which leaves little breathing room for the band to explore. They dial back from 2012's Settled which isn't the smartest decision at present given so many smaller bands really breaking down doors in the genre at present.

A lot of songs employ Anthony Huebel's laid-back, withdrawn vocals getting lost in the guitarship of things, but it's the same vocal cadence and same rhythms on quite a few tracks (as seen with the opening three).  "Hikikomri" and "Big Vacation" map out this formula for a record that while not as musically sounds as predecessors is still strikingly well-written.  Guess that's because it's quite intimate and personal covering a range of issues a la what Annabel and Sorority Noise did earlier in 2015. Run Forever, for what it's worth, is quite passionate and that's felt halfway through when the record shifts to more mid-tempo beats and even grungier tones ("Grand Marquis").  It's genuine and earnest to say the least, which you feel on "Exhale" - typifying the modern indie/emo genre as it is.  However, these songs are few and far between and it's tough to reconnect with them, especially with the promise Settled showed on your mind.  Not a bad effort but definitely, room for improvement.