Glasseater's fourth LP sees the band honing their pop-punk/emocore sound, resulting in a noteworthy debut for Victory that is intensely emotional and complex. Brimming with great melodies, heartfelt vocals, sincere, thoughtful lyrics, and catchy hooks, the album is also sprinkled here and there with hardcore leanings and the occasional well-placed dual melodic/screamed vocals that gives Everything Is Beautiful When You Don't Look Down a clear edge over the generic, run-of-the mill pop-punk so prevalent nowadays.

The five-piece open with the conflicted-sounding "Greetings…Goodbye," which is highlighted by great vocal work especially towards the end when frontman Julio Marin's smooth vocals are supplemented by harsh screams of "goodbye to you." This song also is part of the heart-on-the-sleeve lyrics love theme so evident on the record where Marin mostly focuses on the many frustrations and complications that entail when one experiences the myriad joys (note sarcasm) of love, as also seen on numbers like "Falling Apart," "Recurring", "Break Away", and "At Your Own Risk." However love is not the only topic the band deals with on Everything. For instance, some songs are more introspective, like the inspirational "From Cradle to Grave," which features lines like "We are born alone and we leave this world alone / So grab hold of your life and run it dry / …Leave no stone unturned / So when it's your time to pass the term / Regret will bear no consequence," as well as the hopeful "Art of Communication," which calls for us to "put the past behind us now and think about tomorrow," and to "work together and coexist" instead of being "at each other's neck" all the time and "destroy[ing] ourselves" - a great message and one we should all follow.

Some extraordinary tracks are "At Your Own Risk," "Recurring," and "Break Away." In greater detail, "At Your Own Risk" is a little heavier than the rest of the songs on the record with metal-tinged riffs and pounding drums and bass. This is the most hardcore of the bunch - a definite standout; just listen to that mid-song breakdown. "Recurring" is a bit slower and mellower than the former, but still extremely affecting, while "Break Away" is a superbly moving, hardcore-tinged offering. The record ends on a more subdued note with "To Feel Adored," a song that features some complicated subject matter. Unfortunately, however, there are a couple of tracks that aren't in the same league as the rest - songs that are slightly too familiar and poppy like "Art of Communication," "Falling Apart," and "From Cradle to Grave." That's not to say these tracks are throwaways or anything, for as stated above, these songs have great lyrics; it's simply that the music is a little too ordinary and commonplace to set them apart. Nonetheless, as a whole, Everything is a fine release, one that mixes elements of hardcore, punk, pop, and emo quite nicely.

And Glasseater, who are purportedly great live, will be on tour throughout the end of September, and in October, will be hitting the road with NYHC mainstays Sick Of It All and streetpunk heroes The Unseen - a couple of great bands in their own right - so check it out if at all possible (Victory).

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