A rock record is a difficult thing to get right. It's all very easy thrashing your way though a track, but to develop a sound that's heavy yet still musically substantial can be hard to achieve. Exit 24, hailing from Street and Cheddar, seem to have negotiated this problem with the intriguingly titled URF Y-ER. They've produced 10 promising tracks which do justice to their cited influences which include Feeder, Manic Street Preachers and Lost Prophets. URF Y-ER is a tight and energetic collection. The enthusiasm and epic scope of the band's intentions shining through, despite the album lacking the clarity of a full-scale production. Regardless of the sonic limitations, the opener Eye of the Storm, one of the more commercial tracks, announces their radio potential with a brooding verse reminiscent of Skunk Anansie and a hooky, melodic chorus. Frozen Dreams follows the well-established patterns of emo-rock, making the most of the dynamic between gentle moody verses and blistering anthemic choruses - think Incubus or Hundred Reasons. Full tilt vocals Dan Miller's lead vocals, evoking shades of Brandon Boyd and Chris Cornell, are more successful at full tilt, for example on stand-out rocker Monster, a straight-ahead Audioslave-style workout. Minger shifts the sound back to the edgy funk rock of Skunk Anansie and, excepting the dubious title, is a great track. Exit 24 are less successful in the role of soft rock balladeers, however. Blue Eyes has a faux-Alanis vibe and sits uneasily with the rest of the set. There's no doubt they have musical ability to spare, but they are not immune to muso moments. A few indulgent guitar solos detract from the band at their best - when they're locked into a riff and sounding like a tight modern rock outfit who should be played loud. It's an indication perhaps that these guys haven't fully honed their sound yet, but with much that is promising this isn't a bad thing. It's accessible, self-penned and largely well-written stuff, the stand-out tracks being Money and Monster. Indulgent elements This is a solid foundation on which Exit 24 can build, refining their emo-rock sound while perhaps cutting away the more indulgent elements. This genre of rock is pretty overloaded at the moment (even ex-Busted members are getting in on the action) so they will need something to make themselves stand out from the crowd. That said, although this album is by no means polished, beneath the surface you get a sense of the passion and fury that could take them far. | 
