Driver Side Impact

Driver Side Impact
The Very Air We Breathe
Victory Records

Lip rings, hoodies, pleading vocals, and anthemic choruses are the perfect makings for a band in the modern hardcore scene. Fortunately, Driver Side Impact they have all those characteristics. Unfortunately, you probably would not be able to differentiate this band from any of the other 23536363 hardcore bands on Myspace.

The Very Air We Breathe desperately attempts to deviate from the hardcore format by throwing in electronic elements; however, this just comes across as confusing. What's worse is that the electronic experiementation does not keep this album from being extremely formulaic and monotonous. The bizarre electro drum kicks and sparse keyboard melodies were probably best kept off the album. Vocalist Branden Langhais' sounds eerily (and ironically) reminiscent of label mate Geoff Rickly of the successful emo/screamo outfit Thursday. (On high notes he conjures AFI's Davey Havok.) Instrumentally, the band fails to step up to the plate; lacking intricate guitar lines and vocal harmonies found in the music of their peers. One can only hope that since this is their debut album that they will improve next time around.