In a similar vein to the latest Turnstile and Fury records, Take Offense's first album for Pure Noise has the potential crossover success without abandoning the band's roots. Keep An Eye Out is a real-deal hardcore record, but it's also got some good hooks, some psychedelic guitar, and warm, welcoming, indie rock-friendly production. One of the best examples of this is "Internalized." It's got a verse that sounds like chugging tough-guy hardcore, a hook that sounds like early Dag Nasty, and flashy leads and a solo that sound like NWOBWHM, and Take Offense blend it all together in a way that feels natural. Even the album artwork does it -- it looks like it'd be a late '60s Grateful Dead album cover if not for the extremely metal font it uses. And that's basically this album in a nutshell.
