Album Review: LOSE

Cymbals Eat Guitars are a four-piece band from New York City; they recently followed up their 2011 sophomore record, Lenses Alien, with LOSE, a sprawling, fierce, and cathartic indie rock album that’s both sharply written and a hell of a lot of fun to listen to. Sonically, the band is highly indebted to 90s underground titans like Built to Spill and Post-Hardcore staples such as Cursive and the Promise Ring. That being said, what the band lacks in originality, they more than make up  with supremely melodic and tight songwriting. Countless shout-along anthems, such as "XR" and "Warning", riddle the album, with sweet ballads, like "Child Bride", adding diversity to the mix. The performances are great, with Joseph D'Agostino’s angst ridden vocals bringing personality to the table, and the instrumentation being subtly varied. I definitely got strong vibes of a frustrated suburban adolescent from the record, which is quite typical of old school emo and post-hardcore releases, but the themes brim with triumph and ardor on LOSE. On the down side, the album does get somewhat samey towards the end, with "Chambers" and "Lifenet" leaving more to be desired, but overall, this is a great release from Cymbals Eat Guitars that I highly recommend.

Recommended Tracks: Warning, Jackson, Child Bride

-SAM C, KXSC INTERN