Truth in Sincerity

The portentous, pretentious opening instrumental "Rule #76" doesn't bode well for Amber Pacific's second album; its epic keyboard swells forecast a self-important faux maturity of the type that's usually the death of a pop band. However, that leaves directly into the catchy pop-punk of "Summer (In B)" and the ultra-bouncy positivity of "Temporary," so Amber Pacific clearly haven't yet fallen into that particular trap. Overall, in fact, Truth in Sincerity is as straightforward a pop-emo album as The Possibility and the Promise, with the same unfailingly posi vibe in Matt Young's lyrics and, unfortunately, the same tendency to sound so much like so many other bands that Amber Pacific have no real identity of their own. Perhaps if 2006's rumors that Yellowcard's Ben Harper (who joined the band as a touring second guitarist) was going to become a permanent member had been true, Amber Pacific might have been better able to differentiate themselves from the masses for their second album, but as it stands, there's little on Truth in Sincerity to recommend it to anyone beyond the most devoted and indiscriminate pop-punk/posi-emo fan.