Die Trying, produced by Neal Avron (Everclear, New Found Glory) and mixed by Jay Baumgardner (Hoobastank, Papa Roach) is a hat trick, a distillation of the band's strong songs and potent presentation¾a natural by-product of Die Trying's personal and creative alchemy as well as an intrinsic, insatiable musical appetite. "Turn Up the Radio" betrays a Bob Mould vocal influence and a 90s alt-rock bent, guitars, drums and bass uniting to clamor with Jassen: "turn the world off/turn myself on/turn up the radio." "Dirty, Dirty" borrows from and answers the Waitresses 80s hit "I Know What Boys Like," Jassen's voice and Jack's guitar lusting in tandem. "Oxygen's Gone" beats Die Trying's contemporaries at their own game, doing anthemic, new-millennium rock better than the rest, and with more substance, articulating the suckerpunch reality of losing a loved one with stark, skittering verses and choruses that burst with emotion, emulating the sensation. "One Day at A Time" conjures Dramarama and The Used, somehow straddling the chasm that separates the references¾testament to a band having done its homework and implemented lessons learned. Collectively, Die Trying has crafted an album that pretends nothing, with resonant peaks and valleys that could score anyone's life. If it's not splitting the atom, perhaps it's analogous to stem cell research, reaching backward to improve forward. Or maybe it's only rock 'n roll¾why complicate it further? "The record we made," says Jassen, "is the record I want to get played at the lake all summer long, that kids are makin' memories to. It's not gonna change the fuckin' face of rock 'n roll, not even close, man. We're just tryin' to have fun.