Promises for the Imperfect

One’s life philosophy (people are inherently good/evil, the glass is half-full, half-empty etc.) will impact how exactly this album is heard. The cynic may be dismissive, while the hopeful or romantic will find much to embrace on Number One Gun’s sophomore effort Promises for the Imperfect. This album is a convincing step forward from the Chico band’s previous release, Celebrate Mistakes. Aaron Sprinkle, whose previous production credits include Pedro the Lion among others, offers a deft touch in giving the band a live and immediate sound emphasizing the band’s strengths of anthemic pop-punk hooks and guitars, guitars, guitars. The songwriting shows a band maturing, unafraid to use the studio with the occasional string arrangement or keyboard flourish, and never at the expense of the necessary energy that makes it sound so vital. The album’s closer, “Life is What You Make It,” reaches and attains a wistful melancholy that also evidences a band pushing itself. Consider this the album that informs the rest of the world as to what Chico already knows. Number One Gun is destined for great things that are already being realized.