First Impressions is a segment where we let you into our early thoughts on a highly anticipated album, This week, we have our early views on Set Your Goals’ This Will Be The Death of US. It drops July 21, 2009.

I think you would be hard pressed to find a website that is/was more excited about Set Your Goals [finally] releasing another record. After falling in love with their last album, Mutiny, the whole staff has been on pins and needles awaiting some new material. However, since that record came out, a lot of other acts started borrowing from the sound of SYG and making it big in their own right [for example: Four Year Strong]. We’re not hating on those acts, we enjoy them, but we knew as soon as we heard it that SYG was going to have to step up their game with their next release. Well, if all they had to do was take it up one notch to prove themselves as the best in the pop punk meets brocore world, then they just made themselves Gods. This Will Be The Death of Us is a heavy, fast record that is still very catchy, but much more mature at the same time. The writing is tighter and the production is greater which, when combined like this, is absolutely explosive.

Set Your Goals has used this record to expand their sound and style without abandoning their roots. “Summer Jam,” a track about the adventures the band has had on the road, screams..well, summer. It’s a bit more poppy than heavy at times, but the use of multiple vocal layers and creative, honest lyrics makes it a song sure to win fans over. Likewise, “Gaia Bleeds” is possibly the heaviest song the band has ever written. The diversity, even between these two songs alone, shows us that there is much, much more to Set Your Goals than we’ve seen yet and so far, it’s all outstanding.

Look for tracks like “The Few That Remain” [which features an amazing guest vocal spot from Hayley of Paramore] and the epic closer “Our Ethos: A Legacy To Pass On” [which features Chad Gilbert of New Found Glory] to dominate every playlist and mixtape you make from July 21st to the end of the year.

Get excited. Seriously.

P.S. This record wins for best album art of 2009.

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James Shotwell

James Shotwell is the founder of Under The Gun Review. He loves writing about music and movies almost as much as he loves his two fat cats. He's also the co-founder of Antique Records and the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. You should probably follow him on Twitter.

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