I'd like to issue a formal congratulations to Hopeless Records for releasing their finest effort in over two and a half years. It's no punk rock throwback, but Ever We Fall's We Are But Human is a partially catchy and pretty creative effort from an outfit sticking out in a bit in a crowded era of token emo acts.

While the band are indeed a third wave emo band embracing the aesthetic of a newfound wave of high-pitched vocalists (see: Circa Survive's Anthony Green, Chiodos' Craig Owens, Portugal. The Man's John Gourley), they're also like the similarly-minded Days Away, producing a dreamy, pop-inflected style that in the very least nods back to the second wave. The band is only a three-piece, but they manage to paint the walls of their reflective cuts with plenty of atmospheric strokes and bouncy rythms.

Easily, the standout is "Youth Like Tigers," which finds the three-piece busting out of the gates in a perfectly sunny manner and likely referencing their short legacy as a band with vocalist/guitarist Adam Brazie singing "Yeahhh! Look what we've done / Years have past, but this is all still fun." "No Sleep for Dreaming" suggests a smarter, less whiny Armor for Sleep, while the soft drum fills and riffs of "Bring 'Em in Billy" work well. "State Bird the Mosquito" is another solid track, with some cool, almost Asian-sounding guitar twinkling in its bridge and charged "GREEN LIGHT SAYS GO!" gang shouts. "No Words to Describe" is beautifully delicate in its dark, emotional conveyance, but it is however placed at the 8-spot and lasts a touchy 9 minutes.

We Are But Human suffers mostly from its length. It's hard to stay attentive for a style like this for over 53 minutes, but it's undoubtedly not without its great little moments. On another note, I'm stoked to see Hopeless release two fine efforts on the same day, and I'm consequently suddenly looking forward to see what's coming further down the line, both from the band and label.

STREAM
We Are But Human

MP3s
Schoolyard Crush [clip]
State Bird the Mosquito