If
In Passing can finish their career without being compared to every other emo/punk-pop band, it would be a small miracle. The Pennsylvania quartet (relocated from Florida) are skilled at what they do, but even loyal fans of emo would be hard-pressed to find differences between them and like-minded bands such as
Hey Mercedes and
the Get Up Kids. Produced by
Matt Goldman (
Copeland,
A Small Victory),
Look Alive certainly doesn't lack passion or professionalism. It just doesn't contain anything that's catchy enough to stick in your head, something that's become an essential factor for the style. Though the strong vocals of Wes Sumner make the band convincing, and the flowing of guitar from "The Heart Is a Parasite" to the acoustic "Making Eyes" is a neat trick, the lyrical content (both ambiguous and cliché) doesn't vary much. All it would take is one good hook for these guys and perhaps those lyrics wouldn't matter. ~ Kenyon Hopkin