From the Twin Cities come Minneapolis’s own Write This Down and their new self titled album. Their bio states “before now, ‘write this down’ was just a phrase people threw around. But after the world gets a hold of the debut album from Write This Down — the band — it’ll stand for something else entirely.” I’m just wondering, is that a good or a bad thing?

“Alarm The Alarm” gets the album off to a solid start with its driving guitar, pounding drums and angelic harmonies. Sounding like an eclectic mix of The Used, Underoath, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus and even Silversun Pickups at times, you’re instantly pulled to the band’s gritty, yet poppy sound. Vocally, Johnny Collier’s voice really shines, fitting the band’s style perfectly. He has that “I’m super shy so I write in my journal about bleeding hearts with black balloons” vocal that girls (by the masses) adore, but adds just enough aggression to keep the muscleheads happy.

If you feel like getting your blood pumping, check out the fist-pumping ultra groovy “Renegade.” Bottom heavy grooves run rampant as Collier and company layer growls and screams straight from the pit of Hades. The major drawback of the track, for me, was that it comes off rather repetitious and unimaginative after awhile. The only real breakdown comes three quarters through the song and it doesn’t last nearly long enough to create any kind of diversion. Even though it comes off rather repetitive, there is no denying that the song is very catchy and a great listen.

Channeling the Silversun Pickups, Write This Down bring us “I Never Said That I Was Through With You.” The verses are loaded with both funky and clean guitar work, thumping bass lines and Collier’s well crafted lines. The choruses see the band break it wide open with thundering guitar licks, monstrous drumming and some pretty cool harmonies. This is one of those tracks that you will either love or hate depending on your mood.

One of the most incredible tracks on the album goes by the name of “Citadel.” Dark and beautifully crafted piano lends itself flawlessly with Nate Rockwell’s rich acoustic six string, all while guiding Collier’s ultra smooth voice to perfection. The end of the track sees the band crank up the distortion for a few measures, just to rattle your nerves a little. It really is an amazing track from start to finish.

There were a few things about the album that I felt could have been tweaked and fleshed out a bit. Tracks like “Center Of Attention”, “Handgrenades” and “Despite Your Valor”, while all notable songs, came off way to pop-filled for my taste. The guitars are loaded with bouncy bubblegum goodness, flavored with sugar-filled bass and cheerful drumming. There are a few breakdowns in each of the tracks which add a little muscle, but not nearly enough to keep my attention. Don’t worry though, because tracks like “We Shot The Moon” and “Redemption” really show the devastating side of Write This Down. Love it or hate it, there are sections in both songs where Collier’s vocals are a dead ringer for The Used’s Bert McCraken.

With what seems like a plague in the music industry these days, this album ends on a ballad titled “Heaven and Hell.” Since I’m not a fan of bands that end albums on slow, dramatic songs, I was completely let down to say the least. Seeing that the track only lasts one minute forty five seconds, it seems a tad out of place and absolutely kills any momentum that the album had.

Even with its flaws, Write This Down’s Tooth and Nail debut is still quite captivating and extremely entertaining. There are times that the band lay down wicked foundations of aggression with punishing riffs and such, only to drift a little too far with uber-poppy sections that might even make Fall Out Boy wince. In a genre that is saturated with cookie cutter acts, Write This Down stand among the best. With some fine tuning and a little more time, these guys could break the mold and really make a name for themselves.

3.5/5