While The Juliana Theory's previous efforts found the band slugging it out within the emo and indie rock trenches, "Love", the bands debut effort for major label Epic Records, instead sees them gracefully evolving into a mature rock band ready for mass public consumption. Littered with infectious hooks, introspective ballads and sensitive, yet driven rock n' roll, "LOVE" is the documentation of a band reborn.

Vocally a more masculine approach is taken with considerable grit and aggression being shown in band frontman Brett Detar's delivery when compared to his past works. The songs are also far more grandiose in scale and better thought out with a seemingly epic quality being shot for with each track. Extra instrumentation in the form of keys and such aids this goal and brings out a charming pop flair to the tracks while also widening the bands dynamic reach. Another distinct quality that comprises this effort is the implementation of some intelligent prog rock inspired riffing which definitely finds the band coming of age in the long run.

Indeed a number of the songs on this effort are quite impressive and should easily help the band appeal to a wider audience if given the right exposure as the maturity and overall attention now shown to detail is of a far higher caliber than the group have ever produced before. However, while the songs and writing are solid, they also seem slightly restrained and at most times predictable, which when combined with the length of this record can make for a somewhat flat experience as a whole. In essence, "LOVE" is a strong rock record but its strengths are also its faults as the rock genre is already a well worn wheel and while this outing will no doubt surprise some of the bands longtime fans, its finely polished feel and less emotionally direct content may alienate a few as well.