Sinclaire

"It's a fucking joke," says Ryan Ford, Sinclaire's lead guitarist, regarding the name Attention Teenage Girls. "Anyone should be able to tell that, with the *Nsync poses on the inside [cover]." That admittedly made the band quite nervous, "The other guys were really worried, [people] may just not get it." A sign of true emo boys - overanalysing everything, emotionally complicated and confused as hell. Sinclaire maintained the dominant hardcore harmonising guitars but the tempo has completely changed from their previous self-titled EP. "The sound is a lot happier, although not necessarily lyrically," Ryan says. The keyboards and faster guitar leads helped to achieve that. Signs of maturity and true dedication to the band shine through with a release that illustrates flawless musicianship. The talents of Ian's vocals and the two synchronised guitars and bass are seen in complicated harmonisation, which is evident in songs such as "Life at 24" and the maturing lyrics in "Letter Home." Anyone who can appreciate Hot Water Music, Braid or even the Get Up Kids must add this to their collection. Their "young-punk-just-outta-school" insecurities still peek through, but the confidence of a release with harder/edgier tracks such as "Girlfriend Sweater" dominates the CD. They also re-released "Night Out" (a song dealing with girl/break-up issues), with a slight key change and added keyboards. As Ryan says, the previous recording "didn't do it real justice." Although the lyrics were written by vocalist Ian Murray, the song exemplifies the bond of strong feelings shared by all members. Ryan lived with Ian at the time and saw how "It tore the guy apart. I read the lyrics... and it made me want to cry." Plans for a cross Canada tour are in motion.