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Hartford emo band Sorority Noise released their third full length record, You\u2019re Not As _____ As You Think<\/em>, this week. It\u2019s so self-aware it\u2019s like the Scream<\/em> of emo records. It\u2019s formulaic as far as pop punk records go, but the band almost points it out ironically, trying to hedge out a comfortable space in the period between pimply adolescence and grown adulthood. They intersperse these moments of realization in the lyrics, layered over pretty standard (albeit well-done) pop punk, so that it captures these growing pains.<\/p>\n

A lot of lyrical elements from Sorority Noise\u2019s previous records carry over onto this one – drug abuse, the pain of loss, depression and mental illness – but with a new perspective. You oftentimes catch the word \u201cstill\u201d – on the opening track (and no doubt the best on the record) \u201cNo Halo,\u201d vocalist Cameron Boucher sings \u201cthe same things that plague you still plaguing me.\u201d The following track, \u201cA Portrait Of,\u201d Boucher continues, \u201cI still have demons, they won\u2019t be leaving anytime soon.\u201d It\u2019s like a friend talking to you about an ex-girlfriend to the point of self-realization where it\u2019s like, I really need to get over this.<\/em><\/p>\n

They are<\/em> maturing in that they\u2019re noticing the patterns in their destructive behaviors, and know they need to change them, even if they haven\u2019t gotten there yet. In \u201cA Better Sun\u201d Boucher sings \u201cI did cocaine to impress my mouth-breathing friends\u201d with an air of self-disgust so blatant it\u2019s clear they\u2019ve grown from their mistakes.<\/p>\n

This record is basically a peek into the inner-psyche of your standard \u201cbrooding male\u201d boyfriend character. He\u2019s emotional and \u201ccomplicated.\u201d He\u2019s experienced loss and gained depth. But you\u2019ve been there enough times to know the last thing you need is another self-deprecating sad boy who sporadically stops answering texts for weeks at a time. Logic screams no but you go for it anyway because it\u2019s really charming in a demented way, the predictability of it all. This record is like that – you\u2019ve been there before, you know what\u2019s going to happen next, but you listen to it over and over because pop punk\u00a0is meant to be\u00a0impossibly catchy.<\/p>\n

All in all, Sorority Noise is more self-aware than you think. While they don’t rewrite the rules on this record, they know their tropes and they play them well.<\/p>\n

Stream\u00a0You\u2019re Not As _____ As You Think<\/em>\u00a0via bandcamp below.
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