At almost the height of THE BEAUTIFUL MISTAKE’s success on record label, The Militia Group, the band imploded from seismic line-up changes and a need to reset priorities. In what has been almost two years since the release of This Is Who You Are, the band has regrouped and recorded three quality songs for this split with Michigan’s “woah, who is this?!?” act, ETTISON CLIO. I’m hard pressed to figure out what I like more about this split – the fact that THE BEAUTIFUL MISTAKE have finished burying their screamo threads and have now fleshed out their atmospheric, indie/post-hardcore HUM/HOPESFALL influences (which fall strongly in the vein of the latter’s A Types release), or the sheer satisfaction that goes along with hearing ETTISON CLIO for the first time and being totally hooked. With gorgeous, melodic female vocals and a tight rhythm section that can skillfully handle both booming rock and pop-punk (think DISCOUNT), ETTISON CLIO is a real treat and a band I need to hear more from in the future. THE BEAUTIFUL MISTAKE’s three songs each retain a unique bit of character – from the punchy, upright opener “Of Human Bondage,” to the haunting, yet opulent textures of “New Plague,” the band seems wholly comfortable in its skin and shows no cracks in its musical foundation. However you view this EP – the beginning of an unexpected comeback, or the start of something big, it’s the rare kind of split release where everyone seems to win something from the prize machine.

Reignition

www.reignition.com