As It Is - This Mind of Mine

Brighton, UK's own pop-punk sensations As It Is have just unveiled their brand new studio effort titled This Mind of Mine. The transatlantic band has been making a name for themselves in their native land, and are ready to bring their unbridled and no-holds blend of pop-punk onto the shores of American music listeners with this terrific set that clearly articulates their musical message to an open and receptive crowd.

The disc starts off strong with "Bitter, Broken Me" an intense, fast paced track featuring the terrific vocals of Patty Walters and Ben Biss who do an outstanding job of combining their talents into a melodic thunderball that can't possibly be stopped and gets better as it goes along plus with repeated listens as well. "Horoscopes" is my favorite song off the album and features a more piercing and high energy vocal scream that is slightly reminiscent of Pierce The Veil, but are able to maintain some of their own elements that make them awesome beyond any stretch of the imagination, and the terrific guitar work of Andy Westhead and the percussion abilities of Pat Foley are well exemplified and showcase the tremendous talent and strong camaraderie that is omnipresent all throughout the group. "Can't Save Myself" is another outstanding number with highly melodic guitar riffs punctuated by deep instrumental outbursts that complement the vocals extremely well and is probably the best produced track on the album that really hits it out of the park in terms of its emotional impact on the listener who will grow to love this track immediately upon first listen, and all of the other compositions on this EP as well. "Relive The Story" ends our stay here with a downtempo number that is decidedly different from the other tracks on the effort, and really tugs at the heartstrings and hits that emotional note that completely blew me away and made me love the group that much more, and shows how much they truly care about their fans and in return the music that they put out for them that gives them so much joy and enthusiasm day in and day out. Out of all the British bands I've covered in my travels, As It Is are probably the best out of the bunch and really have a grasp of the type of music they want to play and the message that they want to convey to the listener, and when it does come out it's some of the most explosive and melodic music I've heard in quite some time and is without a doubt one of my favorite albums of the year so far.

In closing, a tremendous and exemplary effort from As It Is, one of the most exquisite British bands out there right now that U.S. music fans will grow to love as much as I have, and are well on their way to accomplishing something special and extraordinary. Buy now, highly recommended!

                                                                                                                                 EP Score: 4.5/5

Track Listing:

1. Bitter, Broken Me
2. Horoscopes
3. Can't Save Myself
4. Relive The Story