Panic Records has signed a ton of quality bands recently, and seem to be ascending and evolving quickly into the Bridge 9 of the west coast -- a label with a bunch of diverse-sounding bands with varying degrees of roots in hardcore. Time & Distance, the new 7"/DD (that's digital download) from Corpus Christi, Texas quartet the Golden Age is yet another strong addition to the label's catalogue.

The band's sound lies somewhere between Broadcasting...-era Comeback Kid and A Revolution Transmission-era Stretch Arm Strong, in that the intense moments mix in well with the underlying melody that every song possesses. There are plenty of choice gang vocals ("Meanwhile", "What Will It Take"), melodic soloing ("Outside of Time") and the breakdowns in each track never overstay their welcome, maintaining their effectiveness throughout and adding depth to the songs. The most 'punk' song here in terms of composition and tempo is probably "Constant War," and even that one's got some chugga-chugga thrown in. But much like the rest of Time & Distance, it's over almost as soon as it begins.

Vocalist Fabian Rangel Jr.'s approach is throaty and visceral, perfect for this type of music, and the players surrounding him in the band are fine, but they aren't doing anything flashy because they don't have to -- there's more than enough going on here to keep Time & Distance from being another run-of-the-mill screamfest (read: snoozefest), and the subtleties contained herein are what could set the Golden Age apart from many of their contemporaries.