You can tell that the members of July for Kings are serious boys because singer Joe Hedges sings with clenched teeth (just like the spawn of Eddie Vedder!) and the rest of the band feeds the modern rock beast with chunky, crunchy riffs (just like Pearl Jam disciples!).
This overly earnest Cincinnati-based quintet got its big break when several of its songs were featured on MTV's reality show Real World, playing out beneath typically overwrought scenes of squabbling, tension, laughter, and love.
Swim plays by those rules.
It's emotions by numbers, whether Hedges is begging for a "Normal Life," a "Girlfriend," or for a ride in a "New Black Car." Swim stays in the shallow end.
Dive in at your own risk.