By Expired Youth

Released Jan. 24, 2006

Tracklist

1. Win Or Lose
2. Heart To Heart
3. Walking Tall
4. Alive
5. Looking Glass
6. For the Last Time *
7. A New Year *
8. The More We Give *
9. Shoots and Ladders/Test of Faith *

Centerfuse.net

This band knocked my dick in the dirt a year ago at Chicago Fest '05. Expired Youth got a room full of crusties and jaded old heads to mosh and sing along; it was astounding. Now finally a proper release... "Where We Stand" doesn't disappoint in the least. You should know what the deal is: FAST '88 style hardcore with plenty of opportunities to skank, punch the floor, or sing along. Think Floorpunch meets Uniform Choice. Usually straight edge bands don't know how to fit in a good singing part, but Expired Youth pulled it off several times. If you can't get down to "Walking Tall," then you don't have a heart beat. I'm going to go ahead and say that this is the best Chicago band since Get it Away and the best straight edge band to come out in the US since The First Step and Desperate Measures. Another solid hit from Think Fast! Records.

Hardware Media & Radio

Last year I received Expired Youth’s demo in the mail from Ronnie Little and gave it an above average review. All I have to say is what a difference a year makes…for the better. This Chicago area Straight Edge hardcore band ups the ante in the posi style arena. The first thing I noticed was the great drumming. Not to take away from the rest of the band but that is was perked my ears up. Everything about the recording and the performance is genuine. Check this one out.

QCHC.com

People who are critical of straight-edge youth crew bands come from either one of two camps: stinky ripoff or "the next best thing since Floorpunch". I usually hail from the latter, seeing as how straight-edge hardcore is the only style that stuck with me through the years and I always appreciate something new. But so-called critics from the first group should understand that we already know this sound is more-or-less a ripoff of what's been done. We don't care, this is what we like. With that said, here comes Chicago's Expired Youth with their latest CD/7" "Where We Stand". If you liked The First Step and Desperate Measures, you'll LOVE this band (and of course the opposite also stands true). EY carefully took their time and crafted a record that will appeal to all kinds of hardcore lovers, but without neglecting a strong and positive drug-free message. It should also be noted that I saw them live a couple of times and was really into it; though not as much as them on stage, wow! Talk about energy. I hear the pundits a million miles away: Will they break up (or break edge) next week, next month, next year? Who cares. This is great music for the moment, and if you're not able to live today, you might as well call it quits. Thanks to EY for making such great music and giving me a bit of a soapbox! Get this record, out since January 2006 courtesy of the irreplaceable Think Fast! Records.

HowsYourEdge.com

These kids got heart. No doubt. I think they hail from Chicago, but I can't be positive of that. You should probably try and see them live if you can. If you enjoy fast, hardcore with balls, look into them. This CD is their EP with the demo tacked onto the end. You can hear a real difference between the EP and the demo. It really sounds like they were growing into their style, becoming more comfortable with their sound. The song Looking Glass has a great little intro. I was going to make a Snapcase reference, but it's not relevant at all. This band is Snapcase free. Look into these guys. They are down with the straight edge. That's a bonus in my book. Check Think Fast! Records for more information. Word.

Smother.net

Youth crew kids will love this band. Expired Youth is every bit what you loved about Youth of Today, Agnostic Front, Ignite, and Shelter. Old school breakdowns and singalongs are strewn throughout “Where We Stand”. It’s nice to see that the straightedge hardcore scene is still vibrant and producing new and great bands like Expired Youth to follow. Great melodic youth crew that you haven’t heard done right in a while.

SicZine.com

Well, what we have here is some windy city straight edge hardcore. These guys were/are in great chi-town bands like Sidewalk, Haunted Life and most notably Plan of Attack (RIP), if you haven’t heard of those guys do yourself a favor and check out their material, all of which is quality. Where We Stand is the bands debut effort, featuring five new tracks and the bands 2004 demo, totaling nine tracks in all. These guys do a good job of incorporating various sounds of hardcore into their sound, from punk rock, hardcore to youth crew hardcore. They sound like a cross between Ignite, Desperate Measures (Youngblood) and Youth of Today with nods to former hometown heroes, Life Sentence. In my review for Wake Up Call, I mentioned how they are straight edge but don’t alienate any of the non straight edge kids and welcome anyone willing to listen into the fold, well Expired Youth exhibit the same thing, which gets a thumbs up from me. Their five new tracks compared to their demo really show the band coming into their own and tightening up their sound. Their approach to song writing improved exponentially with their newer stuff, there’s more subtle change ups that keep things from getting trite. The demo tracks are little more straight ahead and rely heavily on pure speed, the new songs change tempos more. Sure it’s only between fast and mid paced but they change it up more coupled with the cues and bridges that also spice up the songs. The vocalist also grew into his style more, he sounds a lot more natural whereas on the demo it came off a little more contrived and forced. While the lyrics have a strong straight edge undertone, mostly they deal with the everyday struggles of life and emotion battles with yourself and friends. I’m on board with the production, it’s got a nice gritty tone to it with the vocals right in the thick of things. I’m down with the artwork and layout. It’s a mostly blue based layout with a illustrated train track scene of the guys in the band standing around with X’s painted on their hands. The booklet features pictures of the band members with the expired youth logo silhouetted in the background of the thank you’s. Good shit.