I'm not sure about this album. Scanning reviews from Fake Train, AbsolutePunk, and anywhere else I could Google, there are dozens upon dozens of bands with which to compare Ambry's sound. The part that makes me unsure is none of them are wrong; unless, of course, you've lived a very sheltered life and therefore have no bearing to recognize the strangely familiar homogeny that shadows a lot of this LP. But the New Hampshire quintet does have some things going for them. For one, they know how to write catchy hooks. In fact, their songs are so packed full of classic power pop screamo licks that I can't help but think they've trying to overcompensate for a lack of substance. It can often be challenging to try to hear past the thick reams of riffs and begin to decipher the more often than not yelled lyrics. This is probably a big part of why the pared down "Linguistic Relativity For Horses," a nicely named tune comparable album wise to "Overpower Thee" from Auf der Maur's self-titled debut, is at least musically my favorite track here. Sometimes less is more, and being the most relaxed aurally makes this track the most satisfying, except that it also perfectly highlights and frames the poor vocals and average lyrics. But perhaps sadly telling of the state of the industry today, Holding On is as professional and crisp a product as any of those Simple Plan/Billy Talent mainstream rock bands that don't really deserve all the fame they have been given and, as such and if fair truly is fair, deserves whatever those bands are getting too. At the very least, it's worthwhile picking up this record in the store just to check out the wicked cover art. I wish I could do collage art like that.
1. Better Scene Than Heard
2. The Boy Who Had Two Shadows
3. Absence Equals Abstinence
4. Car Crash Love
5. If Practice Makes Perfect, We Need More
6. Postcards From California
7. Linguistic Relativity For Horses
8. 32 Teeth And I Still Bite My Tongue
9. Memory Or Tragedy
10. Dancing With My Confusion
11. A Collapse Of Confidence
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