It's been three years since Brooklyn's Dear Tonight released their debut EP These are Wires. Since then the band has toured regularly, went to Europe with Boy Sets Fire, and honed their sound in order to release We're Not Men, the bands first full-length and only their second release as a band. While These are Wires was much grittier and less polished, We're Not Men is the sound of a band that has matured, ditching their angry hardcore past for a more technical and melodic sound.
At first, We're Not Men suckers you into believing that it is less than the sum of it's parts, an album that at first listen seems like twelve songs that are not terribly inspired. "You Have too Much Faith in Us" is the band's opener, a song that features the title being yelled out into silence before the drums kick in and the band is moving at full force. As the song moves forward, past the backing group vocals and post-hardcore guitar riffs, Dear Tonight shows their range, borrowing high pitched chords borrowed out of the back pocket of Hot Cross. At first glance, or to the impatient listener, the next stand out track doesn't come until the end of the album. "All the Silver" features guest vocals by Laura Fidler of fellow Brooklyn band The New Dress. The song's tempo starts off slowly, with Fidler sharing vocal duties as the music slowly moves on in the background. Then, with the pop-punk squeal of a guitar, everything is picked back up to full punk pace. The ending is triumphant, as group vocals hopefully chant, "Love your friends, sing loud. We will die laughing." Granted, that really insignificant band Pg.99 said close to the exact same thing, but Dear Tonight recognizes that and it's surprisingly acceptable.
And well, that's it. Pack it up and put it back on the shelf, because We're Not Men doesn't have much else to offer. Or perhaps it does, if you give it time. After absently skipping over the bulk of the album and concluding there is nothing left to listen to, it can be a chore to go back. But then things begin to stand out. "What We Love Not are" is able to make you wish it would slow down and give you a chance to catch your breath. While the backing music changes its tempo on cue, the vocals do not stop or slow down, staying the course without ever looking back. Eventually the obligatory "Whoa ohhh ohhhss" take over the song, but the ending makes it worth it, as dual vocals yell out, "And now we're fucked!." A few songs later is "Dead Boys," a song full of clanging punk rock riffs and yelps of "We're not men," a popular line used throughout the album.
Dear Tonight is vast in their topical approach, singing songs about hanging out with friends and then moving into songs about America's imperialistic foreign policy and disastrous approach to relations within their own country. While the changes can be uncomfortable and awkward at times, We're Not Men is an album that should be looked at on more of an individual basis, and not necessarily as a whole.
It may take patience, but We're Not Men is worth it in the end. The band mixes socio-political punk rock with melodic hardcore about the simple things in life complete with a technical sting and a bruising pace. Take the time, and We're Not Men will begin to grow on you.
