Send "Close To Home " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Absolutepunk |
 Cincinnati, Ohio’s Close To Home are a band not unlike A Day To Remember with their blend pop-punk laced with hardcore tendencies. However, the problem here is they really just try too hard. Their attempt to meld genres on Never Back Down results in confusion, if nothing else. As a result, the record may be the most scattered, convoluted, ultimately confusing record in recent memory. The record is nearly impossible to describe due to its inconsistencies. After the intro, the first real track “Days Of Our Lives” is as pop-rock as it gets, leaving the listener to expect a summery pop-punk record. This sentiment, however, is short lived. What follows are failed attempts at “bro-core” and hardcore, as the screams of “You were the one but now you’re something else” on “Count the Ways” are honestly laughable. The hardcore mentality continues on the further attempts to be terrifying (“All We Know” and the destructive “End of an Era”). Well, there you have the attempts to be heavy and metal. Next, we will press on to the radio rock numbers, which may be (sadly) the best parts of the record. The uplifting “Nothing Lasts Forever” is actually executed rather well, as the sing-scream formula works at its best here; even the chorus is catchy as hell. Likewise, “Empty Roads” successfully uses the same formula. Beginning with vocalist Nick Stiens’ soft vocals, the track picks up quite well, and does have hit-worthy potential, for sure. Close To Home have proven their strengths lie within catchy rock numbers (“Sink or Swim”). Now, if only they would have stayed on that note. The aforementioned wannabe hardcore tracks kill every attempt at skill CTH have, as “Behind the Scenes” is as misplaced as it gets. Oh, wait, a Set Your Goals-esque track? Yes, the penultimate “The View From Here” kicks off as just this. Soaring guitars and vocals, the track is actually executed quite well; that is, until the low screams take the light and ruin the track. Albeit starting out with potential, the track again only portrays ridiculous inconsistency, for Close To Home can’t decide if they’re pop-punk or Atreyu. The problem lies with the experimentation with everything in between....full text |
| Fuckyourscenes |
| I post everything that has to do with music. I'll put up leaks, tour dates, music videos, new songs, everything. Along with this, me and my correspondent Kevin Spann will be doing our own reviews and interviews with bands! So, hit that follow button so you don't miss anything! You're going to need WinRAR to extract the songs once you download them. There are many other programs such as 7-zip. Either works, personally, I use 7-zip, but WinRAR seems to be popular. Both are free, so no worries. Follow me on twitter and add me on facebook! www.twitter.com/fuckyourscenes , www.facebook.com/fckyrscenes. Everything I post goes onto both, so you'll never have to miss anything, or search through pages and pages of stuff! Most importantly, if you like it, BUY it! Support the bands, artists, producers, actors, directors, everyone who spent months, years on their projects. Buy the CD after it comes out, go see the movie or buy the DVD. Or, just throw a big ass party for everyone involved! Oh, and when you throw them a party, don't forget the man who leaked those CDs and Movies for you. COUGH....full text |
| lmpmagazine |
| I remember when I first picked up this band’s EP, Standby, at my local Hot Topic a couple years back. At that time, they sounded more like a cross between older FROM FIRST TO LAST and MATCHBOX ROMANCE. While I never found their next EP in stores, I did stream it for review a year or so ago when it went online. With it, I found that CLOSE TO HOME were experimenting more in the screamo department. With this slight shift in their sound, I really wasn’t sure what to expect from their label debut, but I was excited nonetheless. Never Back Down definitely surprised me when I got the chance to finally hear it in preparation of an interview with the band. This twelve track selection is boasting with different genres successfully blended together. There are songs here that will appeal to fans of A DAY TO REMEMBER (“Days Of Our Lives”), CONFIDE (“Count The Ways”), and even COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS (“Sink Or Swim”). While they mostly stick with the hardcore/punk rock formula, CLOSE TO HOME do prove more than once on this album that they have the ability to take on new genres at the drop of a hat. Of course, the best part of this all is how well the band pulls it off. While not all of it will get stuck in your head, a good chunk of it will. From start to finish, Never Back Down is above solid work and never falters. There’s a lot to love here, and due to the array of sounds incorporated, it’s hard to recommend this one to fans of specific bands. It would be easiest for me to just suggest you give it a shot despite your tastes. And don’t just sample one track — you’ll need to play a few to get a well rounded opinion...full text |
Close To Home lyrics
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