The Exit Home for an Island

[Some; 2004]

Rating: 2.5/5

Styles: ’80s dub and reggae with ’90s punk and indie rock, punk pop, emo
Others: The Police, Get Up Kids


Do you really, really like The Police? The Exit do. Home for an Island, the NYC band's sophomore release, indulges the band's penchant for echo-y harmonies, washes of guitar reverb, and high-mixed bass. Singer Jeff Darosa adopts his best modern-rock croon; lots of tuneful harmonies over punchy drumming and appropriate but unremarkable riffing. On the plus side, there are a couple memorable tunes here, including "Don't Push," the acoustic ballad "Soldier," and OK white guy ragga/dub track "Back to the Rebels." Unfortunately, The Exit's lyrics are the worst kind of wannabe Clash pseudo-angry/political dude. "Don't Push" has an outro repeating, of all profundities, "I've seen better days." The band's one-sheet even quotes a couple of the more embarrassing lines; the album's title is drawn from a song of the same name, in which Darosa wails, "I left my home (Brooklyn) for an Island (Manhattan), where rebels fly in on airplanes." When not, er, remembering 9/11, the band beats the dead horse of major label antipathy: "Seems like when we get somethin' special/ they buy it up and sell it back to the rebels/ I don't like it any more than the next man/ I just do what I can." At least it's pretty catchy. I guess this record is pretty forgettable, but if you're still shelling out for new Sting or U2 records, why not give something back to the "rebels?"

Do you really, really like The Police? The Exit do. Home for an Island, the NYC band's sophomore release, indulges the band's penchant for echo-y harmonies, washes of guitar reverb, and high-mixed bass. Singer Jeff Darosa adopts his best modern-rock croon; lots of tuneful harmonies over punchy drumming and appropriate but unremarkable riffing. On the plus side, there are a couple memorable tunes here, including "Don't Push," the acoustic ballad "Soldier," and OK white guy ragga/dub track "Back to the Rebels." Unfortunately, The Exit's lyrics are the worst kind of wannabe Clash pseudo-angry/political dude. "Don't Push" has an outro repeating, of all profundities, "I've seen better days." The band's one-sheet even quotes a couple of the more embarrassing lines; the album's title is drawn from a song of the same name, in which Darosa wails, "I left my home (Brooklyn) for an Island (Manhattan), where rebels fly in on airplanes." When not, er, remembering 9/11, the band beats the
dead horse of major label antipathy: "Seems like when we get somethin' special/ they buy it up and sell it back to the rebels/ I don't like it any more than the next man/ I just do what I can." At least it's pretty catchy. I guess this record is pretty forgettable, but if you're still shelling out for new Sting or U2 records, why not give something back to the "rebels?"

1. Don't Push
2. Home for an Island
3. Tell Me All Again
4. Back to the Rebels
5. Italy
6. Let's Go to Haiti
7. Darlin
8. So Leave Then
9. Soldier
10. Already Gone