Near Miss - Testing the Ends Of What They’ll Put Up With

Former members of Bigwig, Max Bechard and Jeremy Hernandez make up this pop-punk/punk-revival band. Influenced by Minor Threat, No Use For a Name, and NOFX, this band has a Warped Tour under their belt and is still going strong. The follow up to their debut, The Gentle Art of Making Enemies, is their 2006 release Testing the Ends of What They’ll Put Up With which hits with punchy guitars, and dueling vocals. The yelled, vocals, a-la NOFX, work well for this band, hitting an aggressive note with the track “Now Rectify.” Other tracks feature chorus backup vocals and whining guitar solos, as well as rhythmic rock-drum beats. Near Miss edges into the emotional on “Falling Out” as Jeremy Hernandez sings: “So sick of being lost/ the secret’s in the heart/ you’ll never understand/ how it feels to miss everything we once shared.” The album mellows on “Take It Back,” and “Last Goodnight” – but returns to full-force punk on “Feel When You Find” and “We All Bleed.” In typical punk-rock fashion most songs clock in at under three-minutes, and offer the sing-a-long, head shaking music of punk-ballads, and an emo-esq penchant for coherent, tender sentiment. Although the album is strong on its own, I’m afraid Near Miss may narrowly miss distinguishing themselves from the pack. [www.takeoverrock.com]