With the prolonged stay of melodic hardcore on the underground radar, it is only natural to expect a few young bands from around the world to also throw their hat into the mix. One of the U.K.'s young hopefuls by the name of The Hurt Process have risen to the challenge, looking to find their name on the tip of everyone's tongue. After releasing two well-received EPs the band settled down to record what would become their debut full-length. "Drive By Monologue" is the end result, and its blending of emo with hardcore found a favorable response upon its European release in the fall of 2003. Now it finds its way to American shores courtesy of Victory Records.

Meshing pop sensitivity in the vein of Taking Back Sunday with a more vitriolic hardcore slant akin to Beloved, The Hurt Process offer an admittedly catchy crop of sing-along emocore. The piercing tones of dual vocalists Daniel Laurence and Mark Andrews bleed together to form an upbeat emo romp with prerequisite hardcore back-ups. This enthusiastic and urgent vocal delivery does share a similar aesthetic to Boysetsfire's Nathan Gray, yet the subject matter being sung about is drastically opposite the aforementioned's political stance. The Hurt Process would rather keep their philosophizing strictly to matters of the heart, resulting in a handful of songs that deal with relationships and the high and low points that accompany them. For their part the band do make an effort to freshen up such common lyrical fodder, as the dual harmonies are near perfect, giving the subject the necessary emotion without overextending the tearful exposition. Melodically charged guitars cut through the pop exuberance with the ease of a hot razor through skin, lacerating these emo tendencies and opening up holes from which the group explore heavier avenues, complete with breakdowns. But though these inclusions keep the music moving at a quick pace it still feels a bit too predictable at times, and this is a factor that never allows the music to sound all that new or remarkable.

While "Drive By Monologue" is a solid debut that should find its share of positive feedback, there is little to distinguish The Hurt Process from a myriad of other like-minded bands. Call it genre saturation, but the sad truth is that with so many young acts choosing to mesh the emo and hardcore styles together, no singular group is given the time to really stand out and impress. This sextet is clearly capable of playing a stripped down emo style with poignancy and an edgier hardcore style with the right amount of intensity, but without truly excelling at either they are perilously close to becoming yet another face on a scene weighted down with a plethora of all too similar bands. Rather than take the opportunity to infuse their emocore formula with a fresh design, The Hurt Process have instead looked closely at what bands before them have found success with and merely assimilated, which is a shame considering the potential within the group. As it stands this is a likable debut that has its share of enjoyable cuts, but when it comes to a close it's more than likely the listener will just look ahead to the next roadside attraction on their trip through indie country.