Band: Take It Back!
Title: Can’t Fight Robots
Label: Facedown
Review By: JoshIVM

Tracklisting:

01. Standing On The Edge Of Hope
02. Times Have Changed
03. Together, Burning Bright
04. These Days
05. Lights In This Town
06. A New Day
07. The Truth
08. Knees To The Earth
09. Time Waits For No Man
10. A Struggle To Stay Standing
11. Act Your Age, Not Your Shoe Size
12. All That Keeps Us Strong

I first posted about Take It Back! on IVM in April of ‘07 when I stumbled across their Myspace and highly recommended everyone to check them out. The band then appeared on our Hearts Bleed Passion Vol. 2. All of us at IVM were excited when Facedown picked these guys up in early ‘08 and they started work on their debut. I hoped the band would exceed my, and others, expectations, and they did it with ease.

“Standing On The Edge Of Hope” is a really good first representation of the band. Mid-paced, melodic hardcore that leans more to the hardcore side of things, with vocals that match the sound perfectly. “Times Have Changed” speeds things up and quickly became a favorite of mine. It features an easy-to-remember chorus which is memorable enough to sing along with. “These Days” tricks you, at least for the first minute, into thinking it’s a slowed down anthem, but they step it up a few notches and tear through the next minute before returning to a more anthemic ending. It impressed me that the band could vary up their sound and not simply deliver the usual hardcore songs. “Lights In This Town” shows off some gruff singing and I must say I wished they’d have done that more throughout this album. Anyways, the song has a great driving part a little over a minute in that’ll get the crowd 2 stepping. The band then surprised me again by utilizing a piano and sung gang vocals providing backup until the song ended. “A New Day” has more of a punk feel to a lot if it with the catchy, sing along chorus.

Overall: If I had to pick a few bands to compare TIB! with I’d have to say a mix of Stretch Arm Strong, Comeback Kid, and Dogwood. Pretty impressive company if you ask me and in my opinion they can hold their own even though they’re newcomers. They have released an enjoyable and consistent debut and one can easily see them gaining popularity. Their signing shows Facedown has added yet another great band to their young and ever expanding roster.

Standout Tracks: “Times Have Changed”, “Lights In This Town”, “A New Day”

Links:
Myspace
Facedown Records

Buy: Facedown Records Store