The Exit - Don’t Push EP

The Exit - Don’t Push EP / 2005 Wind-Up / 4 Tracks / http://www.theexitrock.com / http://www.winduprecords.com / Reviewed 31 August 2005

The diverse array of sounds that The Exit play is more of a commitment to the musical eclecticism of the bands that they were influenced by than anything. On the opening track “Don’t Push”, The Exit have a dominate college-rock meets The Police like sound, with some of the reggae of bands like The Clash flavoring the track at times. So many things are going on at any one given time for The Exit that the band honestly struggles with a coherent sound during the first track. This same dense output is present during “Lets Go To Haiti”, a track that has so many different paths that individuals will undoubtedly get lost in the rich forests of instrumentation.

The first track that really begins to remove some of the excess that has followed The Exit through the first half of this disc is “Home For An Island”. This track, with its shrill guitar work (done by Ben) and emotive bass lines (all Jeff’s work) really looks back to Bryan Adams and progressive rock for their two key influences. Coming back to a reggae style for “Back To The Rebels”, The Exit really follows in the bland frat-Marley-mix rock that is showcased most commonly by 311. Luckily for the listeners, this general sound is shucked fairly quickly for an intensely catchy sound that is brought to the forefront almost single-handedly by the sweet vocals on the track. The four tracks on this EPO are all destined to be on The Exit’s full length, and really are a good introduction for this act.

The band might suffer at times from tracks that are just too busy, but at least this is not an act that is only putting the bare minimum onto disc. What would benefit The Exit the most on future recordings would be a greater amount of cohesion between this trio; perhaps if more of the arrangements had a nexus of instrumentation, a blueprint which to work off of the tracks would seem more formidable. When the band can come forth on a track with a clear and concise sound, weaving each instrument together (like in the bridge of “Home For An Island”, the band makes something that will never be dated or forgettable. However, that type of sound is not the main sound on this disc, so I hope that the rest of the tracks on The Exit’s first album will be more in that direction.

Top Track: Hope For An Island

Rating: 5.3/10