• Reviews

• All
• Music
• DVDs
• Live
• Cinema
• TV
• Books
• Comic Books
• Video Games

Aug 31, 2011 Male Bonding By Ben Schumer

Although Male Bonding just released their excellent debut, Nothing Hurts, in the middle of last year, they’re already back with a follow-up. In the press, the band made much of their decision to record in higher fidelity with producer John Agnello (The Hold Steady, Dinosaur Jr., Kurt Vile, etc.) and calmed concerns that it would somehow drastically change their sound. Well, the good news is the increase in fidelity hasn’t really changed anything. Sadly, the problem is a decrease in energy and a rushed batch of songs.

Endless Now is the latest example of a hyped indie band (see also: jj) rushing out their sophomore LP in a questionable amount of time with diminishing returns. There isn’t a single standout track on the album, but nothing is necessarily bad. It’s all just a mediocre, re-warming of Nothing Hurts. What does hurt is knowing these guys are capable of much more. (www.malebondingblog.blogspot.com)

Author rating: 4/10