It pains me to be a Debbie Downer about music, but when the first 35 seconds of the album make me want to scratch my ears off my head, I find it necessary. On one hand, Aspirations would sell at Hot Topic to girls with too much eyeliner, without question. Said girls would eat up the almost-poetic lyrics, drenched in angst, like Hello Kitty fruit snacks. If Harbor Royale is making music solely for getting rich and dying young (career-wise), they’ve got it made. They’ve shared the stage with some pretty big bands, such as Atreyu, Bullet For My Valentine and Escape The Fate. This may be impressive to some, but they still lack real talent. On the other hand, Harbor Royale might one day realize they are making terribly unoriginal music and go in any other direction than where they’re headed, and that would be great! They know their instruments and have the drive to make it happen for themselves. It would just be better for them in the long run to realize that they sound like every other band circa early 2000s, looking for teenaged poon and eternal fame. I’ve heard this band a million times before, on other stages and in other states, and it’s time for retirement. We’re not entirely mad at the ‘70s for disco, and I think in a few decades this may be a good thing to look back and laugh at as well.