There's not much to say about Handsome Distraction besides them being masters of rock n' roll. It all kicks off without warning with the fantastic Drive Safe. One thing to notice about Handsome Distraction is that Devin Perfect has a distinct style. A lot of the riffs sound chopped up except for when he sings. Drive Safe is a song you won't get out of your head. I was worried after seeing this band so many times live that listening to the record would be a disappointment. That is not the case. It's what you hear is what you get. It was recorded live off the floor anyways. Don't expect any Phil Spector walls of sounds or orchestras. Babes of War featured awesome lead work by Corey Francis right of the bat. A nice feature of this band is that all four provide vocals, so you are always hit from all angles. I am also impressed that I cannot compare Handsome Distraction to any band off the top of my head. They are the epitome of modern rock, and it's any wonder how they couldn't be Zone Band of the Month. Chris Weaver flows through the bass like a crystal clear river. Who Do You Love? starts a bit on the cheesy side with popping bass that may or may not remind you of a porno. Still, they've set a precedent for just really catchy songs. It kinda kills me that it feels like Bryan Reiber is playing it safe on these recordings, because when I see him live, he is amazing. Of course, when it comes recording live off the floor, risks are a bit frowned upon. Mess Before We Met doesn't hold the caliber of the first three songs. You can sing along to it, much like all of their material but it falls flat. Still better than a lot of mediocre Victoria bands I've seen come and go. Dirty Knives returns to the greatness we heard earlier. Highlight of this one is the focus on the bass. I really like the dynamics of this band. This song is as slow as Handsome Distraction gets. It occurs to me that they would be the perfect band for a frat party. It never goes into ballads. It doesn't challenge the listener. It stays pretty upbeat and rockin'. Disappear is a disappointment for me, because it's way better live. There's something about the vocals, as if the mic was too hot. I think with a little re-organizing of the track order, it might have came across a bit better [especially with the three heavy hitters right off the top]. I will credit Disappear as having a good riff, though. There is an element of Revolution N.9 at the end that repeats talking and odd noises in repeated forms. Luckily, it's short. Why is it there? A secret song! It was a song from the last album's session and it didn't fit, so they put it on this one. Now, this is a fucking great song! Why is it hidden? I don't know. Drive Safe, Babes of War, Who Do You Love?, Dirty Knives and this one [Green Light] are very solid songs. So, yeah, Handsome Distraction = great rock band. The only thing keeping it back is that all the songs follow the same road. It doesn't evoke my emotions. It doesn't speak to me, besides signifying that this song is good, this song isn't as good. What's wrong with a slow song? What's wrong with acoustic guitars? What's wrong with stepping outside a genre? Handsome Distraction is great at what they do, but I'd love to see what else they are capable of.
3.8/5
