Review Summary: A release that indeed proves that Just Surrender is Stronger Now
Just Surrender is a very curious band. Their first release,
If These Streets Could Talk, was a spectacular post-hardcore album akin to
Tell All Your Friends. The dual vocals were stupendous and it was rather hard to find a flaw on that release. Two long years later they released the atrocity that is known as
We’re In Like Sin, a cash grab of an album if there ever was one. It was just completely unbelievable that a band would purposely abandon every single aspect that made them great and ditch them for radio play.
Well Just Surrender must have realized that selling out is never really worth it, or they were sick of losing fans, or they never made it big like they had hoped but in 2008 they released an EP, ironically, named
Stronger Now. This release, dare I say it, brought them back to their roots. Although there are only two new songs released they are two very solid songs. The third track is an acoustic version and the final track is a remix.
The album starts off with the strongest song on the EP. Stronger Now really is a song that honestly would have held it’s own on
If These Streets Could Talk. The song itself starts off with on of the better riffs you’ll hear from Just Surrender. Overall the guitar work shown here on these two tracks is an improvement. Dan Simons does a fine job creating catchy guitar hooks that, on first listen don’t seem that technical, but in reality they are better then many bands out there. But it doesn’t take long for you to realize that this is the JS of old. The screaming vocals are shown in the first verse. Along with the vocal harmonies that made this band great. Jason Maffucci and Dan Simons manage to create an interesting dual vocal line that many bands try to emulate but fall short. Try to imagine, if you will, a combination of old
Taking Back Sunday and
Emery vocal wise. Yeah it’s that good. The song itself shows the solid song writing abilities that this band possesses.
The next song, Crazy, is an insanely catchy song that would have fit in on
We’re In Like Sin. But surprisingly the song still manages to captivate you as a listener, with endless hooks and a chorus that will be stuck in your head for weeks and weeks. The song itself is about a girl driving a guy crazy. (A shocker right?) The guitar work here isn’t as solid but there is a guitar solo thrown in at the end of the song that, while being overly repetitive, isn’t even half bad. Lyrics wise this song are a little clichéd but, honestly, learn the words and sing along and well keep it our dirty little secret.
The last two songs, like I mentioned before, aren’t new songs. The first one is and acoustic version of I Can Barely Breathe. It’s a rather beautiful rendition of the song and this track is really an opportunity for the best part of the band to shine. (The Vocals.) It’s not drastically different from the original but it still is worth a listen.
The last track is a remix. Yes a
remix. I’m not even going to talk about this because, quite frankly, it ruins an otherwise solid EP.
Excluding the last track Just Surrender manages to release and EP that should bring back their original fan base. It’s not overly innovative or technical but it is what it was meant to be, a solid post-hardcore album. So called it a return to form or returning to their roots. Whatever it is,
it’s pretty damn good
