Upon listening to the opening notes of
Lorene Drive, one gets the impression that the musicianship is very good and they might be onto something that is more than just screams and teen angst. However, vocalist
Daniel Murillo nips that idea in the bud on "God Knows I Loved You Kid," which seems to change gears with the wind, slowing down before nailing a chorus that brings to mind an early
Foo Fighters. From there it's screamo meets nu-metal, as if they're throwing genres at the wall and seeing what sticks. "Let It Go" is a tamer, focused affair that has some semblance of a hook and some strong guitar work from Stephen Fisher and Justin Smith before poking its head into
Metallica's turf. Fans of "emo" punk acts like
My Chemical Romance,
Yellowcard, and
the Used would enjoy this band, particularly during the slowly evolving "A Kiss Won't Make This Better" and the ensuing rocker "A Song in the Key of Sex," which is a cross between
the Exies and
Jimmy Eat World. The best track of the bunch is the short and extremely snappy "Lip Service," which has no fat on it whatsoever. "Change of Occupancy" also has several good points, recalling early
Sum 41 minus the sneering and somewhat snide lyrics. The more desperate
Lorene Drive sound, the better they are, judging by "Some Kind of Love." ~ Jason MacNeil