Verge

Personnel: Christian Climer, Maika Maile (vocals, guitar); Jay Enriquez (vocals); Chris Kamrada (drums).
Audio Mixer: Dave "the Dove" Holdredge.
Recording information: Paint It Black Studios, Orlando, FL.
Photographer: Gage Young.
The Verge that Orlando quartet There for Tomorrow seems to be on on the album of that name is maturity, at least of a preliminary sort. What that means for a group that has been making noise since its members' early teens is that they are moving on from such early influences as Jimmy Eat World to a more sophisticated, if still forceful sound as they get more playing under their belts. Singer Maika Maile still boasts a throaty high tenor that adds urgency to his words, and lead guitarist Christian Climer is still coming up with burning leads. But those leads sometimes suggest the influence of the Edge, and the music in general often betrays a familiarity with early U2. Maile certainly doesn't have Bono's wordiness or sense of the universal message; he's mostly expressing his dissatisfaction with a romantic situation, as he does in "Nowhere Blvd." ("We're going separate ways on Nowhere Boulevard.") But he isn't quite as anxious as he was in his youth, and he can even be more cautious in giving advice rather than being judgmental, with the final song called "I'd Be Changing If I Were You." This is not to say, however, that There for Tomorrow is pulling its punches as it reaches its prime, only that it is getting a little more careful in choosing its targets. ~ William Ruhlmann