I am sick of having to say that bands sound like Taking Back Sunday! But sadly, with every package of CDs I get to review, it seems that every other band in the world dreams of being the next big thing on Victory. One look at this sickening cover art and I had a feeling I would have to pull a "Jesse" on this thing. Pop it in, and sure enough, I heard annoying singing over a breakdown beat and a stab at tech guitarâ¦and then came the standard screaming. "Thank god this is just an EP," I thought.
After sifting through poorly-written wordy bios on their website and their label's website, I discovered that Hartsfield formed "from the ashes of the Ottawa, Ontario hardcore punk outfit, Us Against Them" and that they got together in 2003. From reading their individual bios I found that they do indeed like Taking Back Sunday, along with The Used, Saves the Day, Matchbook Romance and Further Seems Forever. I'm sure many of you have stopped reading by now and I don't blame you; it sounds just like you could imagine.
If they had mad tech skills, maybe I would be briefly interested, but it's nothing your little brother couldn't figure out playing along in his bedroom for a half-hour. Maybe if they had crazy addicting hooks I would be interested, but this is pretty forgettable. Maybe if they really convinced me with the harder sections that they were in true hardcore bands prior to this I would be interested, but no, it's all kinda half-assed, and based on the clichés that this genre thrives on, these guys are copies of copies.
If you still need convincing of their mediocrity, go watch their music video for "Everyday" on their website. If you like it, may God have mercy on your soul. Sorry guys, but you really need to put your own stamp on this drivel, at the very least. There is nothing here to make your stuff stand out from the thousands of other bands trying this style. And if you're going to directly emulate a band, please pick someone else; I'm tired of comparing bands to Taking Back Sunday. I feel mean nowâ¦oh well.