This Providence (Deluxe Version)

This Providence's self-titled debut for Fueled By Ramen is a sweet, warm and melodic indie rock affair. It's really nothing more and nothing less, which is a good thing depending on how you look at it. The guys sound strikingly similar to their Seattle peers in Forgive Durden, albeit in a much less quirky and much more straightforward rock way, and fans who enjoyed 2004's Our Worlds Divorce will take to this album with open arms, as the two aren't so dissimilar. The emo quartet starts out on a strong foot with the urgent stomp of "A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing" before injecting some swagger in their step with the great driving bounce of "Card House Dreamer." From here, however, some tracks start to blend into one another, their varying tempos about the only thing to largely distinguish one from the next. And while none totally miss the target altogether, the band struggles a bit to make sure their consistency doesn't just turn into a predictable uniformity. Singer/guitarist Dan Young has a lazy sort of delivery that matches the steady roll of the band's songs, and that makes for an especially nice effect in tracks (as in "Losing Control") when his voice contrasts against bassist Phil Cobrea's more forceful backing parts. No one can accuse This Providence of making a bad album here, and as far as their emo peers go, these guys are definitely one of the more promising. But something is going to have to be done before their next record to really help them stand out from the exuberant pack, since as things stand now, they're still just a face in the crowd.