The fourth studio long-player from the San Diego-based post-hardcore unit, Misadventures is as ambitious, hook-laden, and spilling over with unrepentant melodrama as anything Pierce the Veil has accomplished to date. Truth is, there isn't a weak link to be found here, as the band seem to have summoned a particularly rallying muse this time around. They stay true to the genre's penchant for loud/quiet/loud posturing, on-the-nose emotional cues, and strategically placed breakdowns throughout, but they do so while flexing some significant creative muscle. The aptly named opener "Dive In" arrives via the screech of feedback and a knotty, cinematic melody that teases release. When that moment comes about a minute-and-a-half in, it's both a relief and a terror; a thin stream of gasoline approaching a lit cigarette. "Texas Is Forever" yields similar fruit, as does the soaring "Circles," the latter of which, along with the downright confectionary "Floral & Fading," provide the impressive Misadventures with its two strongest pop-punk moments. ~ James Christopher Monger

• Released: 05/13/2016
• Format: CD
• Genre: Pop