Dear Misguided are back at it again. A little more than a year after their first full length release Hold This Against Me, they're releasing their latest EP, If You're Down, I'm Down. This new release shows that the band is determined to explore ideas and fine-tune the sound they've been working on since they began. They were able to record the EP last November at an industry standard studio located at Chico State University, and that reflects on the improved quality of the recording as compared to their previous home-recorded work.
The EP starts out with "Sleeping Sound", which, like its title suggests, begins the album off with a low-key mood of soft drums, clean guitars, and smooth vocals. It has a melancholy tone to it, but is not depressing; the subtle bass line and drums keep things from falling into despair. When the bridge kicks in however, the band picks up the intensity and the song really begins to shine as lead singer David Hollenbeck jumps an octave and begins a passionate plea to the song's subject. The rest of the song feeds off this intensity, and it results in a solid opener for the EP. It then slips into "It's My Fault, But You're Wrong and I Hate You" a more upbeat and bright sounding song. It opens with a ethereal sounding synth, but quickly kicks into the drum-driven rest of the song. Right before the chorus is some evidence of the recording environment they had access to, because of the professional and awesome sounding fade from the verse into the instrumental version of the chorus. The chorus, with vocals, is the highlight of the song, with the slick gang vocals and tight instrumental that gives off a more mature and grown up sound than the "fun" songs of their debut album. "Keep It To Yourself", the next track on the album, brings the energy level back down to the more mellow levels of the opener. It serves as middle ground in terms of the mood of the previous two tracks, taking a more upbeat approach while sticking to a quieter overall sound. The vocals are a focus point of this song, with them coming in loud and clear over the crashing drums and guitar lines. David has dual vocals, which add a sense of depth to the song and gives more emphasis to them. The bridge is especially memorable, with a sweet guitar line that sounds a bit like something Walk The Moon would do building the energy until the rest of the band comes crashing in. Finally, the EP finishes off with "*You're", a strictly acoustic tune who's title plays on the common error made with your/you're. The song has a lullaby sort of tone to it, with the picked and strummed guitars providing a gentle sway as the vocals come in softly over them. That doesn't mean it will lull you to sleep, however, with a slow building of the guitars gives the song a little edge to keep the listener intrigued. It's a fitting end to the EP, bringing things down to a soft, yet angsty end as Hollenback wishes he could go home and get away from the person he sings about for the rest of the song.
Overall, this EP showed a lot of improvement from their debut, which is good and expected. Having a professional quality studio helped, but the tracks definitely had a more mature and adult sound than was present before. The lyrical content helped this as well, taking on a darker nature and touching on some sad and raw sounding lyrical ideas. The indie nature of the band shines through, and the tracks flow well together, all drawing from a more consistent vibe then the debut album managed at points. This is another sign of why this is a band to continue to watch, with their continued growth and tightened sound showing through more and more clearly.
Rating: 4/5
Recommended: Sleeping Sound & It's My Fault, But You're Wrong and I Hate You
Related: Death Cab For Cutie, Walk The Moon, From Indian Lakes
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