The Cringe, Scratch the Surface

The Record Plant in NYC has been the birthplace to many rock classics — Jimi Hendrix, KISS, Led Zepplin, and countless others. The question is does Scratch the Surface, the debut album from The Cringe, fall into the same category? Of course not; don’t be silly. That doesn’t mean, however, that this isn’t a solid release by a good new band. The brainchild of the band is singer/guitarist John Cusimano, who also just happened to produce the album as well, and the music he has written is standard alt-rock. In the “Influences” section of his bio, he name-dropped Hüsker Dü, The Ramones, and Television, and while those may indeed be influences, the output of this CD is more along the lines of a Stone Temple Pilots or Live. That’s not meant in a derogatory fashion, by the way, since both bands are excellent songsmiths.

On Scratch the Surface, all of the songs are very well-written and all seem made for radio. “Too Many Problems” should have been featured on The O.C. during one of those extreme moments of turmoil or overacting. Lead track “Another Day” is another gem, with a chorus that is a little too reminiscent of Pat Benatar. At the end of the album is “One and On,” a song that could have been written by Paul Westerberg. The band does slow it down a couple of times, giving you time to whip out your Bics and hold them above your head. “Grave” and “Empty Table” are both slow-paced “Buzz” ballads that will make any 13-year-old wallow in their self-pity.

The band gives you your money’s worth, as there are 13 songs on this release and nary a dud in the bunch. The next step this band needs is to get a real producer, put all their side projects away, and concentrate on this. If they do that, then they could have something special.