Rising from the Florida independent community comes a fresh young band featuring former members of hardcore ensemble As Friends Rust. Rather than replicate the melodic aggression of their former band, this new outfit come baring their emotions and flirting with a style that embodies both The Cure and Sunny Day Real Estate. Though such a description could easily be given to Fiddler Records' own Salem, this diatribe is in regards to another new face on the emo scene by the name of Moments In Grace. The band happen to be the first to step out representing the Salad Days imprint banner, a subsidiary of Atlantic Records helmed by producer Brian McTernan and titled after his very own recording studio. On their full-length debut, "Moonlight Survived", this quartet offer up an emo-friendly ideal that juggles shoegazing and space rock with equal zest and should spark a modicum of interest within fans of Taking Back Sunday, Further Seems Forever and Switchfoot.

The band excel at tinkering with the tried and true three minute song formula, as cuts like "My Dying Day" and "The Blurring Lines Of Loss" are golden rays of luminescence, bringing new light to previously dark corners of the emo/rock landscape. While these moments are genuinely memorable, the album does suffer from repetition, as the group seem to lock themselves into the spacey drama and rarely deviate from the script. This somewhat strict song format tends to weaken the album's lengthier cuts, as with the exception of "Stratus", several songs lose steam at the three minute mark. Adversely, Brian McTernan comes through with his best work to date, treating "Moonlight Survived" with evident delicacy. His finesse delivers rich, full-bodied production values that vividly capture the band's progressive slant as it infiltrates every spare inch of their emotive rock foundation. This vibrancy and focus sharpens the album's strongest songs to shine even brighter and softens the glare that reflects off the record's imperfections.

Confined by their pop sensibilities, Moments In Grace have opted for a debut that is essentially a "safe" album that never truly indulges in its base desires. The band seem preternaturally cautious of overstepping some invisible boundaries, as they tease with the spacey, almost new wave undertones but never fully blast off on such lavish aural textures. With experience under their belt and confidence in their sound, Moments In Grace are on the verge of being a legitimately marketable Cave In alternative, offering a spaced-out indie rock style that chooses to fully embrace its commercially viable pop appeal. Granted the mainstream crowd turned a cold shoulder to the aforementioned's plunge into modern rock, but unlike them, Moments In Grace liberally exploit the current emo craze and in the process seek to woo the female contingent with a touch of romance. Though "Moonlight Survived" may suffer from an overwhelming sameness when it comes to the songs offered, the infusion of space rock to the emo facade is a welcome change of pace, making this a serviceable introduction that does have its moments.