amazon-take-the-crownLos Angeles unit Take the Crown inject a flurry of synth flourishments into their 13-track punk meets post-hardcore endeavor RELAPSE REACT, emitting a sound that evokes both Saosin and Thrice without losing a general sense of self. Tracks such as “Lights, Camera, Disaster” are built on the ongoing emotionally charged vocal presentation while atmospheric keyboards lending an ominous presence while “GAME OVERdose” takes a decent stab at juxtaposing video game blips and bleeps into Warped Tour-esque punk rock. While a lot of what’s audible here is far from groundbreaking and has been done to death, Take the Crown do a formidable job of keeping their basic emo melodies sharp (“She’s Like Whatever”) and the electronic accoutrements intriguing without overdoing it, developing a balance that fans of AFI or Circa Survive. www.riserecords.com -Mike SOS