We Are the in Crowd

We Are the in Crowd: Guaranteed to DisagreeGuaranteed to Disagree (2010)
Hopeless

Reviewer Rating: 4

Contributed by: RayzorRayzor
(others by this writer | submit your own)
Published on June 11th 2010If everyone's talking, you know you're doing something right. The Poughkeepsie-based outfit We Are the in Crowd has exploded onto the scene since forming in 2009, already signing to Hopeless Records and playing every stop on the 2010 Vans Warped Tour. Their debut EP, Guaranteed to Disagree displays .

If everyone's talking, you know you're doing something right. The Poughkeepsie-based outfit We Are the in Crowd has exploded onto the scene since forming in 2009, already signing to Hopeless Records and playing every stop on the 2010 Vans Warped Tour. Their debut EP, Guaranteed to Disagree displays many of the key sounds that makes them stand out from the rest of the "crowd."

Five seconds into the EP, Tay Jardine (vocals) belts out a high note exclaiming to "Carry Her Home." From there we are introduced to an addicting mix of pop guitars and conflicting vocals between Tay and Jordan Eckes (guitar/vocals), escalated during a mellow bridge two minutes into the opening track. The addition of Will Pugh (Cartel) on "Never Be What You Want" is a welcome complement to the EP produced by Kenneth Mount and Zack Odom (Cartel, All Time Low, Mayday Parade). Halfway through the album, We Are the in Crowd shows off their technicality and depth in "Lights Out." This track features a great drum performance by Rob Chianelli and a great melody complementing Tay and Jordan's vocals. "For the Win," the group's first single, features a great synth line and addicting hook that stays in your head for days.

While Guaranteed to Disagree is a great start for the quintet, We Are the in Crowd still makes some rookie mistakes on their debut. One track that doesn't settle well with me is "We Need a Break." Following "Lights Out," possibly the best song on the EP, the second vocal line has Jordan screaming "All damn night and all damn day / because of you bitch I would rather do nothing." While I commend the band's attempt at trying to be "edgy," it offsets the "feel-good" nature of the first half of the EP and seems incredibly out of place while tainting the rest of the track. I also feel as though the last track, "Calendar Pages," is lacking the element of replayability. It's still a good song, but I believe it would have been better placed second-to-last, with "For the Win" rounding out the EP with a bang.

Overall, it looks like We Are the in Crowd has made a dynamic statement in their debut. Jardine, Eckes, Chianelli, Mike Ferri (bass) and Cameron Hurley (guitar) have shown off incredible talent; especially considering the lack of experience playing together as a band. Tay will instantly be compared to Hayley Williams (Paramore), but I believe they will continue to develop their sound.

BOTTOM LINE: Guaranteed to Disagree is a great debut for a band that's relatively new and still developing their sound. They are definitely worth checking out.

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Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not respon sible for them in any way. Seriously.

badseed (June 14, 2010)

This review reads like a press release.

name (June 11, 2010)

muktar,

you pretty much articulated what I was trying to say (happens to me a lot on here, actually). and mike, I understand how the review system works here, but one of the best aspects of punknews is the fact that it does have certain ethical and aesthetic commonalities...as much as the diversity of bands covered here is awesome, if punknews was absolutely free for all, what would seperate it from the kind of inconsistent pop culture worship we were all making fun of SPIN for embodying earlier today? bands can have gigantic sonic/cultural differences but exist within some shared cultural framework. like...what do dalek and darkest hour have in common? absolutely fucking nothing, sonically. but i don't think most people would get upset if/when they get reviewed on here. i always thought the kind of "maturity" that punknews was proud of itself for possessing, from an editorial standpoint, had more to do with the realization that awesome music can exist in all forms and less to do with the idea that just because someone possesses an opinion that automatically makes it valid.

i'm also baked. sorry for the long post

muktar (June 11, 2010)

mikexdude

maybe what 'name' would like to say is that maybe punknews could use some minor 'filtering' when it comes to reviews updated. maybe punknews could use their better judgement to see if the review matches the stars, and if the stars match the music in their opinion (sorry if that was worded weirdly, im baked). that doesnt mean you must to discriminate if the music isn't in your tastes, however would ANYONE really enjoy listening to this shit? all it would have taken was a check on the myspace page and 30 seconds in you could dismiss this.

however i could just an ignorant reader who doesnt realize a major flaw

GarrettIrish (June 11, 2010)

I'm depressed. The album art tickled my brain and I was hoping it was a sorta band like The Most Serene Republic or Johnny Foreigner. Turned out just to be scene-pop.

mikexdude (June 11, 2010)

Name,

You know this is a user-submitted website, right? Even the reviewers are just users. That means, there is no consensus to Punknews; if one person posts a review, that is their opinion and it doesn't speak for anyone else involved with this website. Just because it is "published" doesn't mean that's what we think. Tom Gabel "tweeted" (I hate saying that) that White Crosses gets two and a half but good charlotte gets four. That's because that's ONE person's opinion who submitted. We don't have a filter or an agenda behind our scores, we just post them. (Unless the review doesn't read to the score posted).

kvzuky (June 11, 2010)

This sounds like an even shittier Paramore.

name (June 11, 2010)

also i realize the irony of me using the phrase "but seriously" and then making fun of it. i'm a douche, i know. a douche who wants an edit option

name (June 11, 2010)

i'm all for occasional devil advocacy, and a diversity of reviews/opinions, but seriously. when albums like this get four stars it makes it seem obvious that there's a double standard for what gets slammed and what doesn't. beloved punk band thats strayed from its roots? put em through the fucking fire. popular mall punk with a few positive traits? lets express how openminded we are by playing the "but seriously...." card.

then again, who the fuck am i, right?

senorcrankypants (June 11, 2010)

Wow, this is almost as punk as ABBA...

Nyblowhards (June 11, 2010)

please keep the pop shit off this site

please keep the pop shit off this site

please keep the pop shit off this site

mikexdude (June 11, 2010)

Hmmm... I definitely disagree with something...