I was in a particularly emo mood one day and decided to get to know more bands. One of the bands that I came across was the Promise Ring. That is one of the few bands that have stuck with me through the years after this emo revelation.

This band is like a lot of other bands I've heard and their sound is nothing completely original. But, despite all of those negatives the Promise Ring has a lot of positives to match. Their sound is an "emo" type rock and roll mix. This description is not very much seeing as how that label can be given to a lot of the bands out there. They can be compared to Piebald mixed with Cap'n Jazz, another band on their former label Jade Tree.

The songs on this album while all somewhat similar to the one that proceeds it always keep you interested and unlike some emo bands the vocals are not harmful on the ears and don't keep you wondering how this band ever got signed to a label. The drums are always kept simple but fitting to the song and not repetitive over the course of the album like some emo and punk albums and always keep a pace fitting to the song. The guitars are not anything impressive but are nothing to be looked down upon and always give a new feeling to every song. The fact that nothing on this album stands out as something incredible shows you that intricate and groundbreaking aren't always the best things to look for in a band.

The album starts out very fast and high energy with "Happiness is all the Rage" and "Emergency! Emergency!" The songs then slow down a bit but keep you into the album and not wanting to skip a track because you don't know what you might miss. The first sign of boredom on this album comes at the last song, "All of my Everythings." This song is not bad just really slow and, compared to the rest of the album, nothing that you would be missing if it was skipped over to head back to the beginning.

If you are a fan of Piebald, The Get Up Kids, Alkaline Trio, Hot Water Music, Jimmy Eat World, or Saves The Day I would suggest checking this band out. It will not disappoint you.