By The Distance

Released Aug. 26, 2005

Tracklist

1. Drowning In Details
2. Phase Two Is About To Be Implemented
3. Anything, Anything *
4. Stolen Hearts Die
5. The Road Ends Here
6. Filler **
7. Holding The Match
8. It's A Love Hate Thing
9. Die Tradition Die
10. Useless Song
11. Those Black And Blues Look So Good On You
12. And I Begin The Longest Year Ever
13. And If (The Lucky Ones)

PunkNews.org

A retrospective, compilation thing of sorts for this outstanding Connecticut hardcore unit, 'If You Lived Here...' is made up of 2 new tracks, 3 live tracks, their original demo and 7" tracks, all remastered into one fucking brilliant sounding hardcore record that never loses step, and oddly enough, seems pretty damn focused. Having enjoyed their Bridge 9 disc, this was my second exposure to these guys, and I must say, I am quite blown away. Imagine the vocalist for Strike Anywhere singing for Carry On or Count Me Out. It's an incredibly powerful stroke of passionate delivery and execution. Even the re-interpretation of Dramarama's awesome "Anything, Anything" grew on me. "Phase Two Is About To Be Implemented" is absolute gem; intense and frenzied as tour-mates Comeback Kid. At times ("Stolen Hearts Die") you get a bit of that N.Y./East Coast riff-raging in the mix; breakdowns and downtunes and the like, and eschewing the tough-guy bullshit repetitions. Melody is in place, shout-outs rival tension, and the whole ball of wax ends up as its own sound. "Filler" is anything but; "Holding The Match" drops a key or two into doom-melody world; "It's A Love Hate Thing" thrives on some great tempo changes, and the live tracks (culled from CBGB's) make one wish they were experience the festivities first hand. When it's all over, you realize you just spent 23 minutes in hardcore heaven, and the Distance are one of the few house bands deserving of a multiple trips to the stage. An excellent introduction to a great band, and another winner for Think Fast Records. (You guys really do have your shit together...). Awesome.

PastePunk.com

Never underestimate the importance of a quality mastering job, especially on a "collection" release that compiles a band's previous efforts into one full-length. If You Lived Here You'd Be Home Already puts together five different recording sessions from THE DISTANCE, including two new songs, and three live songs recorded at CBGB's. The heart of this disc contains music from splits and 7"s on such labels as Bridge 9, Good News Records and Old Guard/Takeover Records. As hinted at, the great mastering job fuses together all of the seperate recordings into one molten 13 song disc that spills its insides in all of 23 minutes. THE DISTANCE's style makes me think of what early DC hardcore would sound like today with the assistance of modern recording technology. The songs on here are blindingly fast but not without strong lines of melody. The galloping drums and searing guitars have a natural, linear feeling that has a start and an endpoint. No senseless, repetitive chugging, no metallic squeals - just a torrent of distorted, but well contained noise. The pinnacle of all this comes on the sixth track, the band's jaw-dropping cover of MINOR THREAT's "Filler." Already one of my favorite songs of all-time, THE DISTANCE's version of the tune is arguably better than the original. Vocalist Jay Reason (formerly of VOICE OF REASON) has a headstrong, semi-nasal style that resonates perfectly with the unbridled fury and gutsy spirit that's draped all across the MINOR THREAT recording. The other highlights on here are the two new songs, "Drowning in Details," and obscenely catchy, "Phase Two Is About To Be Implemented." There's definitely a shift going on with the new material, taking steps away from the old-school (sounding somewhat like CARRY ON at times), and moving towards a melodic direction that's similar to Louisville's former stars, BY THE GRACE OF GOD. If these two songs are any indication of what's in store on their debut full-length, we're all in for a treat! However you classify it, THE DISTANCE have become a unit that's learning how to write better songs after conquering blots of pure energetic catharsis. If You Lived Here You'd Be Home Already comes close to fitting the saying "something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue." And while that's the last time I'll use a phrase associated with weddings in the text of a review of a hardcore record, THE DISTANCE, in making all of their earlier exploits available in one tidy package, have built something where the sum is clearly greater than the weight of its parts.

AMP Magazine

It's no secret that I fucking love these guys. They play some seriously amazing, straight-forward, in-your-face fucking Connecticut hardcore, the way it's supposed to be played. What we have here is a collection of various releases from the guys, including two new recordings and two live recordings from the legendary CBGB's, as well as songs previously released on a variety of releases, including the critically-acclaimed "Anything, Anything" 7" and the three-way split on Bridge Nine. I can't say enough good things about this release - it kicks just as much ass as the other stuff from THE DISTANCE, even if a lot of the songs are already out there. It's fucking awesome to have them all in one place and to have them on CD, too. If for some reason you've never heard THE DISTANCE, this wouldn't be a bad way to start what should become an ever-growing collection.

Centerfuse.net

Here we have 2 new songs, a bunch of tracks that appeared on various splits and comps and a few live ditties from CBGB's. Jay Reason has taken The Distance to a point that to me is kind of like midway between their EP on Bridge 9 and his former band Voice Of Reason. The melody and catchy hooks of the new tracks break up the monotony and adds a whole new dimension to the Distance's arsenal. One of my favorite tracks on this is the passionate " Anything, Anything". Its definitely a heart wrenching catchy ass song. Fuck my sister just walked by and asked me who this is.. you know what that means! This record is definitely an interesting mix. You can see the changes in the band from angry pissed hardcore band ala tracks that appeared on the split with Outbreak and Some Kind of Hate and the Minor Threat cover that they did, to the newer songs that have alot more going on in the songwriting and overrall feel. I would have to say that this goes to show that they have a bigger piece of the musical spectrum covered and they aren't afraid to try new things at all. I like the versatility in this. Whether they want to hit you with the raw power and unadulterated aggression of some mean ass hardcore, to the simpler emotions of some of the newer songs, they have that ability to turn on a dime. In a punk rock world when alot of these bands have nothing to say and nothing to give besides what someone already did, its nice to see someone can break the mold and still give everyone else a run for their money when need be. This record "goes the Distance" for me and is definitely worth it if you haven't checked these guys out yet- this cd is the place to start.

PunkNews.org

I, as well as others I'm sure, are bound to question the release of an "odds and sods" collection of a band whose first full-length hasn't even seen the light of day. Sure, it was common for bands of their style in the early 80's, but that time it was also a feat to manage a full-length recording on such a low budget. These days, not so much. In another words, it's a practice usually reserved for multiple punk/hardcore bands like so who've made their name legendary despite a handful of vinyl releases all missing the 12" mark, but, like its most recent companion in Sick Of It All's B-sides/rarities retrospective Outtakes For The Outcast, the Distance's If You Lived Here You'd Be Home Already is tightly uniform in its set of straightforward hardcore tracks (most plucked from a short wealth of splits and 7 inches alike with two new songs and a few live numbers to boot), and pretty enjoyable despite such a short garden of material to pluck from. Complimentary claims the Distance have picked up where straight-edge torchbearers Carry On left off have run rampant throughout the band's early work, and as this is a showcasing of such, it's certainly warranted here. However, the Distance give themselves...erm, distance...by serving up one more usual tempo change than their comparative brothers in question, and generally falling more into emotional youth crew territory than unrelenting straightforward intensity, but with nary a gang chant employed on the newer material. "Drowning In Details" is one of the compilation's two newly recorded offerings, and showcases a rare backup vocal appearance that gives the record a strong start. The band's cover of Dramarama's "Anything, Anything" is a definite standout. Taken from a limited 7" bearing the same name and released last Summer, vocalist Jay Reason sounds truly desperate to keep the relationship together screaming "marry me marry me marry me!" Most other genres this would be a complete whinefest, but instability and emotion seem to sincerely resonate on this particular track rather well. The sound quality alters drastically immediately following the track, with 'raw' being the general vibe of the rest of the record despite a halfway-accomplished remastering attempt to balance it; however, it comes at a pretty appropriate time with their cover of Minor Threat's "Filler" another sure highlight. It's actually pretty upbeat compared against the rest of the album, and Reason begging "it's in your head! It's in your head!" does undoubted justice to the original. The remaining studio offerings take another step down on the sound quality ladder, and are all taken from the band's 2003 vinyl release (originally a 2002 demo). Here's the band in their earliest form, and mosh parts are incorporated quite more often. Following this are a few live tracks recorded at New York's CBGBs. Despite Reason's repetitive, clichéd commands of "Yo CBs, let's do this! / Move up! / Destroy this place! / Use your outdoor voices indoors!" getting a bit stringy by the third song, you really can feel the aggression in the room, and at least they aren't just live versions of songs already previously heard on the record (rather, the studio versions can be found on the band's eponymous release, 2004's Your Closest Enemies EP). So while I'd still really like to hear a proper LP from Connecticuit's the Distance that would likely be packed to the brim with a sure 25 minutes of stripped down, barefaced hardcore manifestos, I won't mind taking in a pretty solid, 23-minute retrospective of what's leading up to it to hold me over in the meantime.

Smother.net

I think that the recent split with With Honor was the proper preparation for this album. A tremendous melodic hardcore album that is exactly what the doctor of hardcore ordered. The owner of Stillborn Records (and Martyr Records) Jay Reason is their singer as if this band needed any legitimacy in the clique of the world of hardcore. When AFI was still playing punk in their heyday of greatness they never came close to sounding as good as The Distance sounds here. Pummeling percussion that keeps the energy level at a consistent high along with vocals that range from hard-edged yells to melodic singing, banging bass that rhythmically seems to call out with its own unique siren call, and kinetic guitars make this a truly incredible and well-timed hardcore album.

SicZine.com

Although they have yet to release a debut full length, this is The Distance’s collection of songs put together on one easily purchasable album. Featuring two new tracks, their split with With Honor, the three way split 7" (Some Kind Of Hate and Outbreak), their self released demo, 3 live tracks from CBGB’s and two covers, (Dramarama’s, "anything, anything" and Minor Threats, "Filler") totaling 13 tracks in 23 minutes. If you haven’t heard of these Connecticut natives, they play a pretty straight ahead style of hardcore taking nods from bands like Negative Approach and Carry On. However the two new tracks show them progressing from their stripped down youth crew hardcore sound to a much more diverse approach to song writing, putting more emphasis on catchy hooks and melodically tinged verses. Definitely going for that AFI meets Give Up The Ghost. Usually I can’t stand that shit, because at the moment bands like Comeback Kid and With Honor are making a killing doing the same shit but The Distance do it without losing touch with their original roots, so rather than sounding like they are trying to cash in on a trend they are just growing into their sound. The vocal approach of Jay Reason (owner and operator of Stillborn and Martyr Records) really takes the bands new sound to another plateau, whether it’s a melodic chorus, or a sped up verse he is able to maintain a high level of anger and desperation as he belts out one emotionally charged line after another. Probably the most important aspect of this release, aside from the two new gems, is the mastering job which brings all of the 5 recording sessions together, everything is crisp and clear and maintains the same fluid sound throughout, unlike most of these albums done in the same vein which fall victim to sounding like 4 different recordings on one album. So just that alone makes this worthy of picking up if you follow the band, because the demo sounds better than ever as does their Split and three way split. And must say their two covers are AMAZING, their take on Minor Threats "Filler" is like none I’ve ever heard and almost sounds better than the original and their cover of Dramarama’s "Anything, Anything," does sound better than the original, Jay Reason really nailed that song. Shit is lovely. My sole problem with this release is the layout is lacking, it only features lyrics for the two new songs with no pictures or linear notes. If you have yet to get down with The Distance this is the perfect opportunity for you to hop on the train with and if you already own all their material, the two new songs are more than enough for the price of admission, which is a mere 9 bones. 4.3/5