By No Harm Done

Released Aug. 19, 2008

Tracklist

1. My Escape
2. I Decline
3. One Thirty-Six AM
4. Throwing Bricks
5. Festivus Yes! Bagels No!
6. The Untouchables
7. Tradition
8. A Radio With Guts
9. Welcome to Florida
10. We Gotta Get Him Back to The Movies
11. It's Too Late
12. A Quarter Tank of Gas and A Kill Your Idols Record
13. The Stranded
14. To Feel Again

HowsYourEdge.com

No Harm Done is a 3 word band name. I can think of another 3 word band name that I bet these guys are tired of hearing about: Set Your Goals. Yes, you guessed it. No Harm Done is more pop punk than hardcore -- sort of a strange divergence for Think Fast! Records, it seems. Now, to me, that is NOT a problem. I love Set Your Goals. And after a few listens, I start to hear other nods. There are HUGE nods to Reach The Sky's last two lps and even a few nods to later era Good Riddance. If you aren't seeing the common thread, just know that I am digging this album. After digging a little more, I realized one of the band members if very familiar. Charles from Get Outta Town Records. I have no freaking clue how this guy does it. He runs a label, plays in at least 4 bands I can think of and probably has some sort of day job. How he manages all that, I'll never know. What I do know, this album is probably my favorite project of his. And Charles involvement probably explains the Think Fast! so-called divergence. PS. A coworker just brought in a crap ton of candy: jolly ranchers, sweet tarts, twizzlers, ... The good stuff. I don't believe the sugar has biased my review, though.

WayTooLoud.com

My cousin told me once that punk rock was best written when angry. Now that might not be true for a handful of quality acts, No Harm Done definitely has some issues on their mind that they aren’t afraid to voice. Okay, maybe not anger, but when a band chants “Fuck your glory days!” you know it’s all about what’s happening now and those folk who still live in the past need to push fast forward. Plus the fervor only fuels the sonic quality of their punk rock, which is always a plus when the instruments are played loud and fast and the drumming sounds like it could fall apart at any time. “Escape” is nothing short of punk rock, 14 tracks of speed with no extra noises or interruptions. The melodies will have you singing along with the short breakdowns and gang “whoa”s. The vocals are sung clearly which gives them a sound similar to former Canadian skate-punks Belvedere, but with a slightly less metallic quality– which means it’s the type of record you blast in your stereo if you’re a tad blue from remembering the good ol’ days of up-tempopunk rock. For being together for only 4 short years I can see why No Harm Done is leaving a lasting impression in every city they play. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a sudden urge to take my BMX out for a session.

PunkBands.com

Hurray for No Harm Done! Escape, the third full-length from this melodic punk/hardcore group, is a breath of fresh air during the suffocating month of August. I received this record a while ago and it's been rotating heavily through my mp3 player as well as my car stereo. I just can't help it. These guys play a brand of energetic punk combined with nice bits of melody and hardcore, all of which help to form an infectious and heart-warming sound. Think of all of those great melodic punk bands that put a smile on your face as you blasted their records while driving to work, windows down, screaming along; New Found Glory, Lifetime, Lagwagon, etc. These guys fit right into that category with wonderfully simplistic music, honest lyrics, and a conviction behind the performances that is so rare in this day and age. While sterile, "marketable" bands also claiming the punk moniker continue to climb the charts and get the girls, it's reassuring to hear a band that is coming from an almost archaic approach to DIY punk rock. Maybe I'm jumping the gun. Maybe the way the music presents itself is nothing like how these guys actually are. If that's the case, they've done a hell of a job convincing me otherwise. No Harm Done come off as a bunch of guys that write tunes in a shitty practice space, working for hours on the perfect chorus or rhythm, one that will imbed itself in your brain. From the opening chant of "This is my escape" from singer Matt Cantwell, I believe everything the man has to say. His approach to the lyrics is simple; talk about what you know. I don't believe for a second that Cantwell hasn't lived what he sings, there's just that much passion behind it all. While listening to the record, I imagine the band playing basement shows and tearing the place down with their good time vibe. Escape is a great call to arms for punk rock. It helps remind us that the music itself is what's important, that marketability and advertising campaigns shouldn't be the focus of a band. Hell, there's not even a picture of these guys on their press release, which is also a testament to the approach taken by Think Fast! Records. More and more often I find myself digging this label and the releases it puts out. In fact, as of the writing of this review, all four records we've commented on for punkbands.com have received four stars; that's a hell of a streak and I'm certainly not gonna break it, not with another quality release such as this one. Check these guys out and check out Think Fast! Records; I have a feeling we're gonna be hearing more about No Harm Done and I certainly hope Think Fast! continues to back talented, passionate bands with something to contribute to the independent music community at large.

PastePunk.com

Florida melodic punk/hardcore band NO HARM DONE have been fighting for respect for years. After stumbling around with a melodicore sound that was mostly dated in the vein of early NO USE FOR A NAME, and a later nods towards the swelling hardcore influence of STRIKE ANYWHERE and Fat Wreck era RISE AGAINST, the group has finally found its niche in Escape, a brisk, 14 song full-length that rocks from start to finish. With the addition of Charles Chaussinand on guitar (owner of Getta Outta Town Records, and an occasional contributor to Pastepunk), and the emergence of singer Matt Cantwell as a confident vocalist, the band is focused, and full of energy as it rips through nearly half an hour of fast, anthemic tunes, topped out with a smashin' recording from Jim Siegel's Outpost studios. Cantwell's voice on here is a mix of the looseness and swagger of the BOUNCING SOULS' Greg Attonito, and the outsized, slightly nasal reaching of LIFETIME's Ari Katz. Melodic and sorta smooth, but certainly not slick. It works, especially as the beats-per-minute push higher on songs like "The Untouchables," "A Radio With Guts," "Welcome to Florida," and the album's best titled song, "A Quarter Tank of Gas and a Kill Your Idols Record." NO HARM DONE's rhythm section is tiiiiiiiiiiiiiight, and while not overly technical, their abilities and playing style snuggle up closely with bands like NO TRIGGER, THE FIRE STILL BURNS, and KID DYNAMITE. Escape is as good a "break out" release as I've heard all year, and it's really hard to not smile a lot while taking this one in and singing along.

SkylinePress.net

Hardcore and punk rock has been around for over twenty years. The sound has changed to include more melody, more metal, more this or that. To create a truly great hardcore/punk album, you’ve got to keep true to the real sound while adding room to experiment and make yourself sound different from every other band out there. No Harm Done has done just that. This Orlando, FL based band has gone with more melody, less fury when it comes to their songs. Following the paths of greats like Strung Out, Rise Against, Stretch Arm Strong, and a few others, No Harm Done has brilliantly assembled songs that ride the border between punk and hardcore while making them catchy enough that they’re listenable to anyone. Their fun and upbeat jams will bring back thoughts of better days for those older kids, and hell, they’ve even got a song called “A Quarter Tank of Gas and a Kill Your Idols Record”. If anyone can find something to not Escape from No Harm Done, I’d love to hear it. When it comes to writing songs for this genre, this band has it down solid.

PunkNews.org

No Harm Done is a young band, yet they've already managed to criss-cross the U.S., put out several releases and make a marked change in sound. Escape, their third full-length and debut for Think Fast!, strips down their style considerably. Instead of the gravelly, technical skatepunk-leanings of their earlier output, Escape succeeds on a more streamlined and poppy but totally competent and coherent melodic hardcore plane. In the first few songs on Escape, immediate similarities to a more straightforward Crime in Stereo circa The Troubled Stateside ("I Decline") and post-reunion Lifetime ("One Thirty-Six AM") run rampant. It helps that vocalist Matt Cantwell has a slightly raspy but overall cleaner delivery than before and is now pretty reminiscent of CIS's Kristian Hallbert. Heck, fans of Set Your Goals will probably take a liking, too. In any event, the smoother flair helps No Harm Done sound more heartfelt and succinct. A likely contributing factor to the band's simpler approach is the addition of guitarist Charles Chaussinand. In addition to running Get Outta Town Records, Chaussinand has played in Make or Break, a pretty straightforward hardcore act themselves. His fast-paced power chords and occasional frill helps provide a base that works for No Harm Done just as much as the guitar wizardry of their past did. Escape makes good on its title, with the band often singing about wanting to leave their desolate state of Florida, from the anthemic, one-line opener "My Escape" to "Welcome to Florida" ("fuck the sunshine, fuck this state"), otherwise exploring loneliness, desperation and confusion common for the members' age (something like 16-20 or so). No Harm Done already seemed to have their transition record with last year's EP, the appropriately titled The Start of Something New. Escape is definitely the first complete effort for them showing off their new chops, and though it doesn't feel entirely versatile or the songs too well-rounded, it's still a solid one at that. As the band further explore this new terrain, one can be assured their songwriting will get better and the ambition to try something new will push them into much more impressive territory.

EvilNeedles.com

This band is so FL it hurts. I know they're all really young, but they remind me of veteran acts like the Shook Ones, Bad Religion, Strike Anywhere, and Fifteen. They have the sweaty skater punk sound down pact, but with their bright and bubbly surfer-pop style it's hard to peg them as simply pop punk or hardcore band. Let's just say they play fast, they sound like they're having fun, and they bear a striking resemblance to Set Your Goals. Rock on FL!!

Maximum Rock N Roll

Sweet and melodic hardcore that reminds me of SAMIAM or THE LEFTOVERS mixed with mid-period AFI, but with the dreaded "modern" sound. Can you say SAVES THE DAY? This is not necessarily my cup of coffee, but I do have to say that these mofos hit the nail on the head when it comes to perfecting the type of sugary pop-core that tenuosly passes as something relevant for MRR. The guitars on this third album are outstanding, and the singer has a great vocal delivery that goes for the heart more than the throat, but aren't there a million of these groups vying to be the next big thing? I could see thousands of MySpace and Hot Topic types swooning over these guys, but not too many fans of rock "n" roll. The lyrics, of course, are personal and introspective, but they're very good for what they are. I have some friends in mind that would totally love this, but they're more likely to buy tickets to the Warped Tour before they pick up an issue of this magazine. Know what I'm saying?

Uneven Ground Fanzine

I've been listening to this non stop since it came out. I didn't think it would be this melodic. You'll be singing along with the songs the first time you hear them. A song like "Throwing Bricks" could actually be played on Top 40 radio, not that that would ever happen, thank god.

Beyond Race

No Harm Done is no joke; they are one of those bands that deserves to be heard. They've got genuine, unabashed energy and Escape is a well-rounded album, with an even balance between raising your spirits and trashing your apartment-on your birthday! Don't let No Harm Done lose their voice.

HardTimes.ca

Significant Findings: With all the nearly perfect punk rock that has been laid down in decades past, when bands had to literally consider themselves fortunate to stumble upon influences they would later come to cite, the pessimist might be so blunt as to claim there is, and will be, nothing new under the sun ever again. And that pessimist would be difficult to argue on that point. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t still great punk bands trying to make a name for themselves, fully aware of the undisputable greatness that came and went before them. For some reason or a combination of them, Think Fast! Records just seems to have a nose for authentic punk and hardcore. Melodic hardcore punk, as tough a subgenre as you can name to stand out in, is yet another that the Maine-based label can claim a competitive stake in thanks to No Harm Done’s latest full-length, “Escape,” an inspirational and intelligent upbeat melodic hardcore record that will surely go down as one of 2008’s sweetest collection of summertime, life-improvement anthems. How interesting it is that just as heavy hardcore is making a shocking return to the riff-oriented 90’s, so is melodic hardcore citing that decade more than ever, with “Escape” an example of the phenomenon done with real heart. The Fat Wreck Chords bands and Vans Warped Tour headliners of the era like Pennywise, Good Riddance, Lagwagon, No Use For A Name, and Millencolin all live on through No Harm Done, but so does the more somber melodic hardcore like Grey Area, Avail, Lifetime, and Hot Water Music. Tempo shifts one of the elements that set “Escape” apart from other, more boilerplate albums that are being pumped out left, right, and center by young bands looking to capitalize on the obviously lucrative melodic punk market. But there is far too much feeling, gang vocals, intricate dual-guitar interplay, and signature songwriting in general for “Escape” to be confused with common bubblegum pop-punk, which (deservedly) is the fate of many other albums attempting a similar sound yet failing to create the overwhelming emotional overload of an album like “Escape.” There are straight-edge intonations throughout, and from the street punk-esque artwork to the occasional but easily justified tightness of the material, No Harm Done are probably not the boozehouds most melodic hardcore bands have been known to be. Possible Diagnosis: These are kids who simply love bands like Kill Your Idols and Lifetime so much that they made it their early-life goal to inspire the youth in much the same way they were by the aformentioned underground icons a decade ago. And thanks to an expert, organic production by Jim Siegel at The Outpost (American Nightmare, Blood For Blood, Far From Finished), every drop of blood and sweat drawn from No Harm Done can be heard crystal-clear. Recomendation: When life-changing bands like Lifetime and Reach The Sky break up, it leaves gaping holes both in the scene and the hearts of kids who live for melodic hardcore. Florida's No Harm Done are the next big hope for the style, with some added flair just to make sure no one ignores them.