Permanent Collection had my attention at the immediate outset of this record. A near-psychedelic swirl of reverb-heavy guitars and almost monotone pop hooks caught me by surprise and the band hit the ground running. Unfortunately, they deploy some of the exact same formulas, barely varying the tempo of Newly Wed Nearly Dead which ultimately turns it from an unexpected delight to somewhat of a dull challenge. Yet, there’s little bits of true greatness sprinkled throughout the record, especially on tracks like “It’s Alright” which places a greater emphasis on their new wave influences. There are enough of those moments to spare Newly Wed from being merely average. Those signs of life should signal some exciting things to come. To achieve those things, though, Permanent Collection is going to have to stretch outside their comfort zone.