Permanent Me – Dear Virginia

Permanent Me – Dear Virginia / 2006 I Surrender / 5 Tracks / http://www.permanentme.com / http://www.isurrenderrecords.com / Reviewed 13 May 2006

Even though Panic at the Disco’s Matt Squire was the individual behind the production of this disc, the style of emo music that Permanent Me plays is not the electro-punk-emo mix of Panic. Rather, it blends the 1998 pop-punk Blink 182 style with the guitar fuzz of acts like Appleseed Cast and Lewis. What results is something that is ready for all the radio station, whether they be college-based or city-based. During the disc’s first track, “Allison”, the band puts itself into a narrow band that allows them to create a foundation that individuals can focus in on.

This does not mean that the band is static, as the diverse styles that make their appearance on the track should make painfully clear. “Later On” is a track that the band seems to pull a lot of influence from Weezer (“Pinkerton”-era) and the Red Hot Valentines; if individuals ignore the date on the disc, there is a good chance that listeners would be unsure whether this was released in 1996 or 2006. The emotional content of “Later On” is something that cannot be paralleled; Permanent Me makes each song on “Dear Virginia” hard-hitting without being necessarily melodramatic. The infusion of a synthesizer during the disc’s hump track (“Ambient and Grey”) gives the band another dimension while still not putting them into the realm of acts like Panic At The Disco. Permanent Me’s style of music is something that transcends mere genres and styles into the realm of pure enjoyment; five songs in, and the band has had a perfect record.

The rapid-fire delivery present on “Ambient and Grey” is a perfect counter-weight to the stretched-out vocals of the chorus; the track has something for everyone. The use of multiple layers during “Ambient and Grey” gives Permanent Me a full sound and really will make individuals wonder how the band can improve on that. The last few years have showed the resurgence of the EP as a viable method of getting a band’s music out to the people. With classic EPs being released by Senses Fail, Amber Pacific, and now Permanent Me, this should provide enough evidence to up and coming bands that a band can make a name for themselves with an EP. Permanent Me have made a big splash with their “Dear Virginia”, and it should only be a short time before their band’s name is being spoken by all sorts of high school kids all across the country.

Top Track: Setting Off The Beautiful

Rating: 7.0/10

[JMcQ]