Formed by ex-Cursive founding member, Steve Pedersen, in 2003, Criteria released two albums and a single up until 2005, and although they never officially split up, the band didn't put out anything else during the last fifteen years.
Years is Criteria's new album, intended to be completed five years ago, and finally seeing the light of day through 15 Passenger, the label owned and operated by Pedersen's first band, Cursive.
"I think calling the album Years is pretty self-explanatory but I also think there were probably full calendar years where nothing happened with it," Pedersen remarks, adding: "There wasn’t any sense of urgency making this album, but we persisted and never gave up and eventually got it done and we are so excited with how it came together." Despite the lack of action for a very long time, the new album finds Criteria in great shape, laying out both the deep-rooted post hardcore and the more anthemic aspects of their sound.
"I'm in such a general state of contentment in my life that finding inspiration for agitation in my personal life at this phase of it was really tough," states Pedersen who spent much of those fifteen inactive years for Criteria practicing as a lawyer. "I didn't have that kind of tension relating to relationships or trying to balance the band with my career anymore. If anything maybe the thing that got me over the hump was Donald Trump and just being so embarrassed and frustrated with the state of the country that we would bring a man like that into The White House. That kind of crystalized some things for me and put a fire back in my belly."
This Reign Is Ours is one of the most impassioned and well structure moments in Years, sounding all militant and feelgood at the same time.
Criteria are currently out on a two-week West Coast tour opening for Cloud Nothings and Cursive. "I think all of us are super excited because this is such a special opportunity to get to go on tour with two great bands, one which we have a ton of history, and get to do this again. It makes us feel very lucky," Pedersen says.
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