The Arsons

Featuring both Ernie Parada and Jason Lehrhoff from Grey Area, the Arsons, not entirely surprisingly, sound a little like Grey Area. Well, Grey Area without the influence of New York hardcore. In fact, "Grapes of Wrath” has a chorus that kind of sounds like the Cars. Most of Too True To Be Good, however, is a straight-ahead blast of East coast melodic hardcore in the vein of Lifetime or Kid Dynamite, albeit with a little more snotty bite that calls to mind a slightly harder-core version of Ben Weasel. "Nova Speaks” demonstrates some of the band’s best qualities, a heavy blast of catchy punk that recalls Bad Religion as much as Black Flag. Tack on a cover of the Flag’s "Nervous Breakdown” and the Clash’s "City of the Dead” and you’ve got one solid record.