In The Making
A Wisher, A Liar
Self-Released
Street: 10.22.13
In The Making = A Thorn For Every Heart + LoveHateHero / Hidden In Plain View
 
First off, I like this album, so I’m going to get my biggest pet peeve out of the way before I get into it—this album sounds like it was recorded in a tin can, which is not a compliment. Getting past the quality of the recording though, I genuinely like these songs. They remind me most of A Thorn For Every Heart, minus a bit of technicality and with a little more pop-punk attitude. There’s a little bit of variety between the faster-paced “Life as a Montage” with its multiple overlapping vocals, and the aggressively emo ballad “Get This Right” that shows they’ve at least got some range. They clearly draw much from their post-hardcore predecessors, which is arguably a detriment, but it doesn’t sound any worse than, say, early Silverstein. It’s a promising start. –Matt Brunk