The All Night spell out their intentions with opener "Wasp Country". Its title led me to hope for some intercultural cynicism, but instead the Winnipeg act provide a more personal, confessional theme: "I won't have this all again. / Confidence and ambition. / Like it ever really mattered." It doesn't seem like any sort of bait-and-switch, though, and you can't really fault the band for going that sort of lyrical route.

That being said, neither their prose or their musical combo of modern pop-punk and melodic nü-alternative is all that exhilarating on its own. (Think two parts Every Avenue, one part Broadway Calls.) The All Night certainly sound tight and focused on this self-titled EP, stocking their sound with strong, developed melodies and hearty amounts of polished emotion. But none of it feels particularly compelling.

Admittedly, "Savages!" has a somewhat rougher tilt within the EP's context, a somewhat more memorable chorus and choppy, thoughtful riffs to fill it out. But it feels like a minor exception on an otherwise forgettable EP. By "Guns in the West", it just doesn't feel like the band is offering anything really worth sticking around for.

This EP isn't awful by any means. There's nothing necessarily cringeworthy on it at all. It's just very middle-of-the-road, and the All Night doesn't seem to have the personality at this point to make a mark with it.

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Wasp Country
Savages!
Demented and Sad, But Social