Atlantic/Pacific - Meet Your New Love (2010, No Sleep) - a brief evaluation

With a roster boasting the alumni of such cult-favorite post-hardcore troupes as Texas is the Reason and Rival Schools, Atlantic/Pacific are a mini-supergroup of sorts, comprised of two not so super well known proprietors, specifically Garrett Klahn and Ian Love of the aforementioned groups respectively.  Actually, toss in a third guy, John Herguth of the shamefully overlooked House and Parish, and voila, it's trifecta time, but if it's a slam-bam power trio you're licking your chops over you better run for that drool rag.  Rhythmically limber, subtly executed, and unmistakably insular, Meet Your New Love is a radically different beast than the former achievements it's architects lay claim to, lending itself more to the tenor of any given Spinanes album than your favorite Samiam or Jawbreaker platter.  

There's something inherently contemplative wending it's way through Atlantic/Pacific's pensive and often empathetic notions, particularly the ones invoked on the first half of New Love. For followers of Klahn's and Love's past endeavors, the sonic innovations here, hushed and textured as they may be, are bound to be a bit startling.  By mid-album, starting with "Picture Perfect," the tempos gracefully advance into higher gear, and Klahn's and Herguth's harmonies begin to solidify, albeit gradually.  In fact, the latter portion of the record comes bristling to life with bolder, more pronounced instrumentation, with the chief highlight being  "The Latest," a song that plays out like Oasis' should've been follow-up to "Wonderwall," coupling as a sweet throwback to Garrett's Brit Pop-ish, late '90s outfit, the New Rising Sons.  

As goes the chorus in "Darling Disappear,"  Meet Your New Love is in a nutshell, "Easy enough to obtain/harder than most to explain," and though it may take a few spins to truly adhere, the beauty is that no familiarization of the much more vigorous antecedent bands A/P's members sprang from is required to appreciate it.  Hear for yourself by streaming "Patterns" and "Some Weary Valentine" over here.