Posted on: July 29, 2009 Posted by: John B. Moore Comments: 0

It’s been six long years since their last release, but Reno Divorce has made the wait more than worth it. On Tears Before Breakfast, their third record, the Denver-based foursome plays blistering punk rock better than most of their contemporaries.

The band clearly spent a lot of the past six years revisiting the classics (everyone from Social Distortion and the Descendents to TSOL). The album kick starts hard with “Supercharger” and doesn’t let up for 11 songs. Though it’s difficult to pick standouts when almost every track is solid, “All Show, No Go!” and the bittersweet “How Long’s It Been” are destined to become fan favorites. The band has changed its line up a bit between albums, but the changes have only worked in the group’s favor, boasting a tighter sound.

Recorded under punk rock mainstay Jason Livermore, Tears before Breakfast is a nearly flawless album, that puts the emphasis on substance over style; kind of a rarity in the punk world these days when more time is spent on coming up with designs for the neon day-glow t-shirts at the merch table than actually writing songs.

Top tracks: “All Show, No Go!” and “How Long It’s Been”

Rating: 9 out of 10

Reno Divorce – Tears Before Breakfast/CD/2009/11 tracks/I Scream/ http://www.myspace.com/renodivorceonlinecom

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