Reviews

Attribute it to youthful technological isolation, the individualistic based media, or the mere fact that everyone wants to be a suffering artist, but humility is a lost concept as the inverse; self-loathing with a sense of aggrandizement seems to be the common ingredient to the largest trends in American culture today, namely music.

There's a thin line between admirable humility and entirely pathetic self-loathing, and I get the strange feeling Dear Tonight have managed to walk it in their full-length album, We're Not Men. The title itself speaks volumes of what seems to express not as much insecurity as confusion of placement in society through what I once thought was itself an oxymoron: smart post-hardcore.

Driven and stripped down without the bells and whistles, Dear Tonight somehow manages to find much of their originality and style in their lack of fancy effects all too prevalent in the genre to which they belong. I'm not sure if I feel comfortable categorizing them as such, as they fulfill so many musical ideals true to punk rock and old school hardcore itself. They manage to escape the standard "Sing-Scream-Pretty Chorus-Scream-Buildup-Sing and Scream" formula that most bands make the crucial mistake of falling into, finding, instead, their momentum with the driving energy and power and the passion of a hardcore band with nothing but gritty vocals and energetic instrumentals.

The album breaks in quickly, proclaiming the name of its opening track, "You have too much faith in us," taking a huge risk in setting the pace on high for the duration of the album. Yet, they never cease to continue this pace throughout the rest of the record, never using a cheap cliché to rouse energy, but focusing on political and sociological subject matter. Their unique way of not only speaking their opinions but seemingly spilling it on to the floor and splattering it everywhere makes it hard not to get caught up. Although passionate, the message is only as good as its musical catalyst.

The guitar parts fit that of most bands of similar vein, pushed apart and prided on their grittiness with a unique rhythm section surrounding it. At times, it leaves something to be desired in the creativity department, but more often than not, it speaks of a group of musicians transcending the boundaries of a lost genre (or rather many lost genres) whose players now come forward in makeup and choppy hair. Dear Tonight come with instruments and a message.

The guys of Dear Tonight are anything but "glammy," and have done anything but missed the mark in releasing this driven, debut full length. This CD has balls, and although impressive, this group of musicians has room for growth. This is a CD I will be listening to and a band I will be checking back on for new and innovative efforts. Four fucking stars!