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Together as a group for just over two years, the four lads of Huntington Beach, California's Slow Coming Day root the music of their debut album in the forceful, yet melodic emo-pop of artists like Brandtson, the Juliana Theory and Jimmy Eat World.  Indeed, songs like "Pages Yet to be Written" and the lead-off track, "Watching It Fall Apart," sound as if they could have been outtakes from Brandtson's Dial In Sounds album.  Elsewhere, the band branches out a bit, with "Tight Wire and Cold Hands" and "Part of Me Died" opting for a slower, more sweeping temperament and the ear-catching "Captivating" sporting a lush, atmospheric texture, replete with U2-inclined chiming guitar tones. 

Lyrically, tracks such as "Captivated" and "Pages Yet to Be Written" (I'm standing in a crowd/ and I am all alone) adhere fairly closely to what many consider the prototypically emo blueprint of alienation and wistful introspection.  Elsewhere, the group addresses the issue of self-esteem in the thought-provoking "Watching It Fall Apart" (Through the mirror she can see/ Deep into the heart of tragedy), while the riveting "Family Ties" paints a likewise gripping portrait of divorce and its effect on children. And songs like "In Silence" (Meaningless and empty/ Continue to indulge) and the equally impressive "The Room without Walls" (All your work/ Has been nothing/ All this time/ That you wasted) are woven with an Ecclesiastically-inclined thread.

While the album lacks an ear-grabbing number on the order of, say, Brandtson's "Mark It a Zero," the SCD collective's attention to melodic content makes sure the proceedings never dip below the band's impressive level of proficiency.  And the group possesses a sincerity that's hard not to get caught up into.  Just shy of ground-breaking, the Farewell to the Familiar project is a admirably solid, melodically-rich first outing from an enthusiastic and talented team of young musicians.

Bert Gangl 5/8/2003