This Will Be the Death of Us

Warped Tour darlings Set Your Goals garnered a strong fanbase through non-stop touring, opening shows for the likes of Anti-Flag, Saves the Day, and All Time Low. THIS WILL BE THE DEATH OF US found the San Francisco-based pop-punkers newly signed to the Epitaph label, which resulted in a step-up, production-wise. With a crisp, clean, snap-tight sound, the band charges though 12 tracks of speedy, energetic, literate hardcore often reminiscent of smart-punks Bad Religion and All. "Like You and Me" is full of honest introspection ("I want to learn from mistakes"), while the hard-rocking "Equals" assures fans that the band is just like them ("that voice behind the verses/is still so far from perfect"). Throughout, Set Your Goals' mature, positive attitude meshes well with the music's youthful exuberance, resulting in a straight-edge themed album that is both musically captivating and refreshingly non-preachy.