Let's get a few obvious bits of information out of the way. Criteria is the latest vehicle by one half of the early Cursive writing team, Steven Pederson. No, this is not a blatant rip of Cursive's material. Criteria is a less pretentious and anthemic rock album. It is a supremely infectious pop record in fact. I was completely surprised by how many hooks When We Break contained. It gives a similar nostalgic feeling to the listener that the blue album from Weezer gave when it first surfaced. This Criteria record is so bouncy and happy feeling that it is sickening.
When We Break explodes out of the gate on "Prevent the World". It is almost impossible to explain how good the song is. It has a huge hook, syrupy backing vocals, and an opening that would make Rivers Cuomo wet his pants. "Draped in the Blood" is similar in its syrupy vocal delivery. There is this single note guitar part that sticks in your head for a few hours following repeat listenings of the album. The bridge is short and impeccably timed. "Good Luck" is next up and has the call and response part from hell. I found myself singing along before the part ended. "Kiss the Wake" contains such a positively catchy chorusââ¬Â¦I hate it. Every song practically sticks in my head. Seriously, it's been a long, long time since I loved a pop record, and it's not the cheesy self parody that Weezer has fallen into since there return either. "Salt in Game" slowly builds with a subtle guitar part that is joined by a beefy sounding bass line that breaks from the album's monster hook formula with an almost angular sound. It works really well with the rest of When We Break as a backdrop. The vocals even almost fall into a round, yes, a round (like "Row, Row Your Boat"). "Run Together" has vocal elements similar to Sunny Day Real Estate's swan song The Rising Tide. The single, unfortunate track on this record (not that it is a bad song) sounds like something write off of The Ugly Organ by Cursive. This might have been a purposeful retort to his former writing partner, but I don't want to be the one to start that rumor.
From start to finish Criteria's When We Break is an excellent record. It is a great listen. It's the right length. It's filled with monster pop hooks. The vocals sound great. The production is top notch. This album could be huge. It is better than 99% of the horrible pop albums that hit the billboard charts all the time. It's a shame that this is not a well-known bad at this point. I could see this as being one of those records that people sleep on until after the band is gone and people lament their misfortune of getting into the band too late. Don't be one of those people. If you like poppy rock records like Weezer and or Sunny Day Real Estate, you shouldn't be disappointed by When We Break. I would be remiss not to recommend this album.
