Best New Music

Dear Tonight: We’re Not Men

With so many faceless, uninspiring bands playing music today it rekindles my spirit to hear a record like We’re Not Men. Dear Tonight hail from Brooklyn, NY and play a breathtaking take on hardcore that combines elements old and new. Upon my first listen I was taken back to the great DC emo/hardcore bands of the late eighties like Dag Nasty and Rites Of Spring. Further listens showcase a modern post-hardcore approach to the band’s intelligent punk rock. It is that impressive mixture that guides the band along their ambitious way.

Dear Tonight spare the bullshit on We’re Not Men. What an appropriate title for an album that spends so much time asking questions…begging us to look in the mirror and realize our faults. We’re Not Men seems like an exorcism of sorts. The album has a sense of urgency much like the times we live in. Dear Tonight turn a critical eye on social and political issues as well as all of our own personal shortcomings. This is raw passion and Dear Tonight simply have no patience for apathetic souls. Yet, Dear Tonight are speaking to themselves with these songs just as much as they are to you and me. The album is laced with confusion and insecurity. We’re Not Men is a therapeutic confession…one that is personal, yet incredibly powerful.

The politically based lyrics of “Broken Golden Rules” ring true in more ways than one. They speak to the brutal honesty of We’re Not Men and the willingness of Dear Tonight to explore themselves and the world around them. To tell you the truth, these days, liberty is a luxury; I’ve lowered the bar on battle cries: give me honesty or give me death. Dear Tonight have done their part. What will you do?

Genre: Post-Hardcore

RIYL: Rites Of Spring, Dag Nasty, Latterman

Label: Red Leader

What We Love Not Are

You Have Too Much Faith In Us

We Aren’t Doing It

www.myspace.com/deartonight

Tags: Best New Music, Dag Nasty, Dear Tonight, Latterman, Music Reviews, Rites Of Spring