In many ways, STEREOTYPERIDER remind me a lot of a less violent sounding PLANES MISTAKEN FOR STARS. Both bands offer up technical songwriting with an emphasis on whriling guitars and pushy drumming. Each is fronted by a mostly gruff lead vocalist (though STEREOTYPERIDER toys with much more melody), and in terms of lyrics, neither band is guilty of pandering to a certain audience for banal acceptance in pre-approved topical diatribes. Dare I say it, but when I want to describe this band as purveyors of punk rock, I feel little need to embellish such description with an empty “core” suffix, or a “post” prefix (alright, alright, there is a bit of mid 90s post-hardcore influences to be found on here, but I’m down with that) . This band just knows how to fucking rock, and Prolonging The Inevitable does a whole lot of that. This release is the band’s third overall for Suburban Home, following its Under The Influence covers MCD earlier this year, and their debut full-length, Same Songs, Same Chords, Same Six Strings. Prolonging… is both a vast improvement from their earlier original work, but still suffers mildly from traits that I was hoping the band would grow away from. Of the eleven tracks that make up this 40+ minute release, there’s clear divide between what is standout material, and everything else. I hesitate to call the remaining songs filler, because I do indeed enjoy them, and with each track containing intelligent, complex lyrics, it wouldn’t be appropriate to be dismissive. However, three songs in particular blow the rest away, that being the second track, “You’re Not Safe With Us,” the sixth track, “Static,” and the ninth track, “Back to the Argument.” Each of these songs features a guitar/vocal combination that infiltrates, searches, and destroys its intended brain receptors. It’s when STEREOTYPERIDER allows the dual guitars to wander too far off track that their songs suffer from a lack of cohesion, and this same flaw was exhibited on Same Songs…. Still, one can’t help but be pleased with the amount of energy, spirit , and heart that’s splattered throughout Prolonging The Inevitable, and those elements shift minor songwriting complaints well into the background. STEREOTYPERIDER aren’t flashy in what they do, and I highly doubt you’ll see them in Alternative Press modeling clothes any time soon, but that’s really, not the point. Similar to timeless sounding releases by groups like JAWBREAKER, SAMIAM, and DILLINGER FOUR, what you get with Prolonging The Inevitable is a batch of tunes that will sound just as manic and inspired ten years from now as they do today. STEREOTYPERIDER might not yet be in the league of bands just described, but they’re probably only one release away.

Suburban Home

www.suburbanhomerecords.com