I kinda feel bad for theSTART. They haven't had the easiest career ever, being signed to two labels in a row that both folded before their music could ever really get any promotion. They have never done any serious club touring, instead being thrown on bills with arena rock giants like Weezer and Incubus. That is no way to make a fanbase, and it shows - no one seems to know who theSTART is.

Sadly, this EP won't do much to change that. Nothing out of the six songs here sticks to my ribs with any sort of pleasantness. In fact, not much of anything sticks at all. Frontwoman Aimee Echo's vocals border on the obnoxious in "Hi Flyer," and try to imitate Debbie Harry-esque snottiness in "Big Shot" and "The 1234" but can't hold a candle to the Blondie legend. The music is rather bland, paint-by-numbers nu-new wave stuff. Heavy on the synths, light on the actual songwriting talent. There just isn't much going on here at all.

It's a shame, because what I remember of their 2001 LP Shakedown!, there were some bright spots on the disc [especially single "Gorgeous"]. Upon second inspection, it seems like all the bright spots on that disc were created through good production, something this EP also lacks. The drums sound paper thin, and the bass sound is as flimsy as cardboard. The last track, the 6 minute quasi-epic "Trinity" displays these pockmarks all too well when the band gets to the "rock out" part. There's just nothing to rock out to here. Nothing at all.