Perhaps it is just their young age, or the fact that they seem to have a bi-polar friendship that threatens to fall apart and dissolve the band at any moment, but something creates a drive in the Metal Hearts to be in control of everything and to have all attention focused on them. And for better or worse, they appear to be satisfying their desires.

        Formed in 2004 as a bedroom project between teenagers Anar Badalov and Flora Wolpert-Checknoff, Metal Hearts quickly gained the attention of celebrated indie label Suicide Squeeze, and they excitedly inked a deal. “There really aren't words to describe how great Suicide Squeeze is,” the band gushed. “Their enthusiasm about the record was unbelievable, and they still haven't let it wear off. They're also the hardest working label in the world, by far."

        It is a bit tricky to pinpoint the aesthetic origins of Socialize, but perhaps we could trace it to early Modest Mouse, or Arab Strap when they hit their prime, and sometimes you even taste the bedroom accessibility that has become indie rock's stigma (or crowning achievement, depending on your point of view). The title track is a smooth introduction to the world of broken hearts and emotional ramblings, perhaps even cliched in the sparseness of it all. And "Foothills" is a monotonous piece of work that will have you rocking back and forth while waiting for the next sterile needle.

        Food probably had something to do with the structure of the entire album. "We went to eat at McDonald’s at the end, which was a bad decision. Our cholesterol is off the charts, but now we eat Luna bars." So maybe it was indigestion that helped them record some of the best tracks, including "Gentleman's Spell" and "Mountain Song," both plunging the listener into icy water and then lifting them up to sonic peaks, perhaps even dreamy bliss while one spends their nights staring at the ceiling.

        Redemption comes through "Ocean Song,” a fitting title with an enchanting flow, perhaps not entirely original, but somehow it acts like a breath of fresh air even if the world it revolves in is a mess of post-highschool heartbreak and independent loser-dom—if every track conveyed this sense of pop sensibility and fearful, wide-eyed, eagerness then Socialize could have been a great springboard debut.

        The band has already said that they are ready to move on ("The album feels like it's been out for five years now."), but are they actually prepared to progress? Either way, this album is a wonderful piece of bedroom pop that could easily fit next to Minus the Bear or Modest Mouse, unfortunately it all crumbles away when you turn off the stereo and forget what brought you to enjoy such mellow heartburn.