Cute Is What We Aim For

Can pop punk be mature? Well, Cute is What We Aim For make a good case for the genre's maturity on Rotation. In fact, the Buffalo, NY quartet have crafted a record packed with tight, catchy emo diddies about everything from drinking to relationships—minus the songs about prank calls and aliens that once made Blink 182 the genre's elite. In fact, CIWWAF provide the MySpace kiddies with an album that's far more than just filler for Hot Topic's in-store playlist. Kicking things off with the first single, "Practice Makes Perfect," the band show a musical progression from their debut, combining strange tonal textures with the catchy chord melodies that made them a success. "Doctor" has a hook that reaches Fall Out Boy-style heights of sardonic infectiousness, while "Loser" possesses a rhythmic shake and swagger. They've become emo's resident thinkers, on this record.

The album's standout is the dissection of Los Angeles, "Hollywood." CCIWWAF tear apart the industry's emphasis on singles with a pained melody that resonates, and it will appeal to far more than just the kids. Later on, the band amps up the anger to 10 on "Miss Sobriety," and the closing track "Time" functions as a letter to the Earth. CCIWAF have certainly evolved successfully, and even though they're still young, they've grown up immensely, both lyrically and musically. Hopefully, the genre and industry can follow suit.

—Rick Florino
06.25.08

In the two years since their debut album, The Same Old Blood Rush with a New Touch, Cute Is What We Aim For have had time to take stock of their strengths and weaknesses, capitalizing on the former and improving upon or discarding the latter as necessary. There's some evidence on Rotation that the group has actually employed such introspection -- if only for a few minutes -- but hasn't learned much from the experience. The most noticeable change on Cute Is What We Aim For's sophomore album is a slick, slightly more mature sound that employs more than the standard bass-guitar-drums-vocals lineup. A horn section shows up a number of times, synthesizers add depth, and producer John Feldmann smoothes out any potential rough edges with a healthy dose of studio gloss. The lyrics could use a little work, though. Shaant Hacikyan's words are on the ineffective side, as in the ostensibly empowering "Do What You Do," which for all its bluster delivers nothing outside generic encouragement and a bland, "be yourself!" sentiment; there's "Navigate Me," a song that was probably conceptualized as a passionate romp through the sheets but instead comes off as a bit creepy. (There's something about the repeated line "These sheets aren't stopping me" that doesn't inspire thoughts of romance.) There's also the bizarre "Hollywood," which pays homage to an apparent fantasyland where the West Coast film hub was without scandal, conflict, superficiality, or strife. (It was also a time "when singers wrote songs instead of hooks," begging the question as to why Cute Is What We Aim For didn't try this themselves.) It's an earnest effort, like all of the songs on Rotation, but those with even a basic knowledge of Hollywood history won't be able to resist rolling their eyes. Rotation is a shiny but ultimately fluff. ~ Katherine Fulton, All Music Guide