This record originally came out in 2004 before the current Barsuk reissue, at the tail end of the indie boom (before the Killers, natch), and many of the songs echo that fleeting era -- the furry, fuzzed-out singing, the catch-me-if-you-can melodies, the torn-up-heart emotionality.   Full text...

The bright-eyed, effusive indie-pop melodrama and shoulder-shrugging, new-wave romanticism of Trying To Never Catch Up would shock like natural sunlight, harsh and unforgiving after hours spent imbibing in a dreary, dank tavern.  Full text...

The sound is rather crisp and impressively complex, yet the band seems to be unsure of themselves. The first few songs "Idecide," "Mercy Me" and "Hellodrama" blare out of your speakers with electronic beats and synths that are nothing less than mentally stimulating. Their style brings unavoidable comparisons to The Killers, and rightfully so. Although WMMF does not go quite so far with the 80's influence, nor are they as catchy.   Full text...

The album moves quickly, opening with the glitchy electro of "Idecide" and shifting into garage rock territory ("Mercy, Me" evokes The Strokes) and even offers up shades of folk (the cleverly titled "hopelist") and emo ("It's not so much the way you hurt me, it's more like the way you make me want to hurt myself," lead singer Michael Kincaid quips on "Hellodrama").  Full text...

Fans of Coldplay will surely herald this band as their one underground indulgence, and fans of The Shins will count them as one of their mainstream purchases.   Full text...

Trying To Never Catch Up is the reissue of their 2004 self-released, self-produced first album. It’s so easy to hear why people got on board early for this band, and yet this album is a disappointment - more potentially good than actually good.  Full text...

Trying to Never Catch Up is constructed mostly of chugging guitars and hi-hats, keyboardist Drew Patrizi adding dollops of synth as per the Killers' handy playbook.  Full text...