Self Against City Take It How You Want It (2005) Rushmore

In baseball there are minor league systems below the highly cherished major leagues; each team possess several farm clubs that allow young prospects to climb in the rankings. The purpose of the minor league teams is for the pro club to support and develop future big leaguers. Drive-Thru Records have taken a note from sports leagues and have created Rushmore Records, a subsidiary that nurtures young talent that is not quite ready for the bigger label.

Self Against City have the pleasure of throwing out the first pitch for Rushmore Records with their debut Take It How You Want It. The six-song EP is just as banal as the bulk of material being released on Drive-Thru. Emo rock stacked up with plenty of infectious guitar melodies and attractive chorus’ inhibiting adolescent lyrical content, bellowed by a charming young man’s voice. In this case, the vocalist comes off as a cross between Drive-Thru’s piano rocker, Andrew McMahon (Something Corporate), and a pubescent Daryl Palumbo (Glassjaw, Head Automatica).

For rookies, these songs are respectable and the band has the potential to catch the ears of the youth; however, without diversification, their position is already filled by major league players the Starting Line and the Early November.

(KirbyPuckett)