Few pop-rock records in recent memory have garnered such pre-release critical acclaim as has This Love’s debut full-length, At War. The Dayton, Ohio quartet (Josh McFaddin on vocals and guitar, Jake Bonham on guitar, Jake Sims manning the bass, and Jake Rinehart providing the percussion) have been promoted by the likes of Journey’s Shoes, Hot Topic, and Absolutepunk-Purevolume, just to name a few enterprises, all based upon the group’s first EP, The Beginning (2010). It is thus predictable that the music-powers-that-be have set the hype-machine into overdrive in anticipation for what is sure to be the greatest rock record ever! Unfortunately, At War does not live up to the billing….but it is worth a listen.

Bombastic, grandiose, and ambitious all describe the overall vibe of At War. Centered around a played-out story concerning a “conflict between love and hate; man vs self,” (or so This Love’s website describes the album) the quartet explore the intricacies of the human experience regarding lasting love, fleeting hope, and reconciliatory optimism. One thing is for sure, no one can fault This Love for being small-minded. The concept itself can (and possibly, should) be easily dismissed, for in the end, this is a pop-rock record, not some prog-rock rendezvous into the avant-garde. Substance wise, At War is hit-or-miss. Yet, when one considers two of the best pop-rock records released in the past several years (Marianas Trench’s Masterpiece Theatre [2009] and Go Radio’s Lucky Street [2011]), one could contrive a compelling argument for At War to be considered in the same category as those innovative and lasting records.

On one hand, At War is similar to Masterpiece Theatre insomuch as This Love splits their debut into chapters. The record has a distinct beginning, middle, and end. The group does this by incorporating principal speeches by President John Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, and President Barak Obama. These interludes help bind the record into a cohesive unit, a technique Go Radio’s debut could have aided from employing). The record kicks off with an excerpt from a speech by Robert Kennedy on “One” and concludes with an excerpt from President Obama’s speech following the killing of Osama bin Laden. However, it is on the haunting “Good Will,” which uses President Kennedy’s 10 June 1963 American University commencement address, that This Love truly hits the ball out of the park.

Musically, At War is superior to the records mentioned previously. Whether it is an impeccably placed, epic guitar solo (“Motions” and “Alive”) or a track supported by driving percussion work (“Shootout”), This War prove that they are miles ahead of contemporary pop-rock groups. When the musicianship of the group is not taking center stage, it is McFaddin’s unique, nasally vocals and surprising range that steal the spotlight. On “Free” McFaddin soars above the layered effects and guitar work and on “The Thief” McFaddin sounds similar to Automatic Loveletter vocalist, Juliet Simms.  Lyrically, however, This Love could improve. On “Fly Away” McFaddin croons “I’ll fly away, oh glory // I’ll fly away // When I die, hallelujah by and by // I’ll fly away.” It is easy to see what This Love was aiming for by this lyrical misstep, yet it comes off as cheesy and pretentious.

At War is certainly a worth-while listen. Some could even make the case that This Love have crafted a must-have pop-rock record. Yet, where there are moments of pure genius, pure pop gold, there are also moments that will leave the listener scratching his head. Much in the same way that Angels & Airwaves is some grandiose spectacle that, at points, overshadows the actual music—Tom Delonge would certainly disagree—This Love’s At War may be to bombastic for its own good. Although this listener will stop short of labeling At War a magnum opus, as others have ignorantly asserted, this listener will acknowledge the aspects of At War that could lead one to render such a verdict. This Love’s At War will, no doubt, be discussed and dissected further in the months and years to come.  Yet, for now, perhaps it is best to just give the record a spin simply for pure enjoyment.

★★★.5/★★★★★

*This review was composed by Mike Meeze