Breaking Pangaea
“Phoenix”
(Equal Vision)
Frontman Fred Mascherino is having girl problems. She keeps sending him on a heart-wrenching rollercoaster set to a platitudinal emocore soundtrack. “The worst part is having no idea … I don’t know what you think/if it means a thing to you,” he sings on “Worst Part.” We’ve all been there, Fred. I know it’s tough. Oh good, looks like he’s over it on the third track, “Better Off,” an uptempo affair and a mature sendoff to the bitch. “I think about the way you brought me down/I wish we could have made it/but since you’re not around/I’ll carry on.” If there’s one thing I admire about Fred it’s that he’s got the guts to slice open his heart and let it fill the album’s grooves. Self -doubt creeps back into his head on “Picture Perfect” and he’s ready to crawl back to her: “Still afraid/still without you … But I want to be over you/But it takes more and I’m willing to give you whatever it is.” Breaking Pangaea does the same thing for six songs, offering no surprises among its heartcore wimpers.
