This band’s aim is not exactly true. The songs sound like high school gossip, which is not ever cute. At least vocalist Shaant’s singing is snotty instead of whiney, keeping Cute Is What We Aim For far away from one stereotypically emo element. ”Drama doesn’t follow me”, Shaant admits during “There’s a Class for This”. ”It rides on my back”, he continues. Over-the-top drama is sold with stripped-down, pop-rock hooks that mostly prevent overbearing emotional mood swings. Group vocals, as found on “Risqué” and a few other places, highlight Cute Is What We Aim For hooks. But this group is too precocious for its own good. Song titles alone, like “I Put the ‘Metro’ in Metronome” and “Sweat the Battle Before the Battle Sweats You”, try too hard to impress. This group has much to say, but lacks the right words to say it all. It shouldn’t be so cute.

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