Stroke 9 is back in the independent ranks for
All In, its first full-length since 2002's
Rip It Off. That album's chunky post-grunge guitars are still a factor on
In, most notably on "Run Away," and vocalist
Luke Esterkyn is as preoccupied with girlfriends and trash culture as he ever was. But the Bay Area trio has also moved toward a layered pop sound that supplements
Esterkyn and the prominent guitars with keyboards, programmed drums, and a multitude of mixing board effects. "Stop Saying Goodbye"'s filtered acoustic guitars and crackling drum machine give way to a big chorus worthy of
Vertical Horizon or
Switchfoot, while the plaintive string samples and kicky chorus of "Set You Free" mark the contribution of ex-
Third Eye Blind guitarist and songwriter
Kevin Cadogan.
Esterkyn adopts a sort of half-rapping vocal for "Faux Gucci Girl" and the existential musings of "Rod Beck." "I woke up this morning with this weird feeling/And it was kind of like I was not myself anymore...," he says on the latter, and its laconically grooving, assembled backing track recalls
Better Than Ezra's own hip-hop dabbling on the 2001 effort
Closer.
Stroke 9's melodies are strong enough to buoy
All In, particularly on "My Advice," "Part'e," and the aforementioned "Stop Saying Goodbye." These tracks make the best use of
Esterkyn's ragged vocal charm and the band's flair for big choruses inside the newly processed framework of synths and flitting electronic flourishes. But there's still a nagging emptiness to this music, like its lifespan is as short as the decadent post-party
Esterkyn describes in "Faux Gucci Girl."