The band wastes no time showing that pop-friendly or not, they've got some muscle, kicking the CD off with the upbeat rocker "Forgive Me." A meaty detuned riff, melodic fill on the second guitar, and then we're off into our first sampling of vocalist Ryan Gibbs' singing. From the slightly nasal vocals, it's almost too easy to lump them in with virtually every pop/punk band of the last decade; fortunately, there's enough real power and variation in his voice to keep it from grating on my nerves or sounding generic. The track does have a few of the requisite emocore screams, although they're mostly back in the mix and also feel more impassioned than a generic, we-had-to-do-this-to-fit-in thing.

The following track, "Control," shows their poppier side; although still a pretty good rocker, this song is so full of hooks in the guitar and vocal melodies that it's impossible not to get drawn into it. It also strikes me as the type of song that would have teenage girls crowding the stage at a concert, hoping to have the vocalist reach down and touch their hand. But hey, who am I to complain if they can write a catchy tune that still feels like they're doing something special instead of just rehashing things?

"Control" is actually more indicative of the feel of the songs on the CD, midtempo rockers with a mix of clean and distorted guitar parts and laden with hooks galore. On the other hand, "Forgive Me" isn't just a fluke; there are plenty of other faster, harder songs like the first single "Take It All Away," "Maybe," and "Answers." The disc has vocal harmonies aplenty, with the liner notes listing every member as performing vocal duties in one way or another. Lyrically, a lot of the songs deal with relationships in one way or another, whether it's the break up and move on of "Letting You Go" or the missing a loved one of "6 O'Clock." They're all well-written, if maybe not very deep.