The Reports - Press

The Reports - "Run Into The Night" CD (Skyscraper #6)
The first full-length from this Seattle post-punk trio is full of rocking yet vulnerable songs that are packed with sinuous vocal melodies over guitar riffs that rip their way through whole songs. They've got the hooks, the soaring choruses, the buzzing guitar, the dance party drumwork, and the charming vocals that piece together into pop perfection. Singer-guitarist Chris Yambor has an edgy musical confidence and detached-cool manner that accentuate his boyishly romantic lyrics - chock filled with clever turns of phrase - perfectly. In spots, The Reports veer close to Eighties new-wave but always avoid sounding hokey, thanks in part to blasts of Pixies-grade guitar noise and the extremely taut, driving tempos of the rhythm section. Their aggressive pop formula has its roots in smart punk rock, but has a definite power pop dynamic to it and owes a little something to Eighties college rock (R.E.M., the Replacements, Husker Du). Their strummy, upbeat songs are fiendishly catchy, but The Reports spend as much time crafting interesting arrangements as they do hooks and melodies - it's not all sugarcoating and shiny exteriors, they've got real soul. Run Into The Night is a gem of a record, it's practically addictive.

The Reports - "S/T" CDEP (Your Flesh)
Arguably the best record I have heard this year, yet doesn't make the slightest overt attempt to be. What is truly impressive about The Reports is their ability to use a lazy/spacey delivery and still have the songs arrive with a real sense of urgency. Dripping with cool, The Reports rock complete new wave without sounding retro. I'm not 100 percent sure I can explain why I like this so much, but I think that there's power in the fact that they know how to write a damn great pop song and have a command of their vintage synths; qualities which too often seem to be mutually exclusive.

The Reports - "S/T" CDEP (Punk Planet)
Remember all those old 80s bands that had synthesizers and fluffy hair and wore gloves and had like one good song before they disappeared off the face of the earth? The spirit of those bands is reborn in The Reports, who play a nineties version of the eighties. The songs are upbeat rockin' numbers, fit for radio play, that stick in your head and make you tap your toes. You'd never believe that an ex-member of Christie Front Drive plays on some of these songs. Enjoyable.

The Reports - "Run Into The Night" CD (Jersey Beat #66)
Remember all those Eighties post-modern punk rock bands who hogged all the airplay on MTV's 120 Minutes? Those bands were top heavy with synthesizers and neglected guitar work. Well, The Reports are a near clone of those bands but they have replaced the synthesizer (there is still a small hint of synthesizers) with some catchy and cutting guitars. The Reports use this aggressive guitar sound, in the words of Emeril the chef, to kick post-modern punk up a notch. The songs are very melodic and well constructed, but there is a sense of disarray to the music giving it a garage sound. As far as I'm concerned, this is one cool disc.

The Reports - "Run Into The Night" CD (Exclaim Magazine, October 1999)
The jangly guitar pop-rock of The Reports takes a Sunday drive down the late '80s / early '90s highway with rest stops at the Pixies and REM. Instead of coping out and replaying famous guitar pop of yesteryear, the trio have done a fab job of unlocking their creative inspirations into a debut album of interesting pop ditties. The harsher rock-fueled numbers, "Hesitation" and "Go West", are still soft enough as not to upset the hangover, and some might even have a hankering for the Replacements. "Run Into The Night" adequately fills the hunger for guitar-driven pop rock of those carefree days of the early '90s without making one feel that it is retro rock.

The Reports - "Run Into The Night" CD (HearattaCk #24)
Well-groomed indie rock trio from parts unknown, who know enough to not tamper with a solid hook or a steady sound. Their music is basement-pedigree boycore with the occasional touch of electronica, but the simplicity of their music totally crept up on me and kept me listening. An exceptional, non-flashy recording really brings out the rough-hewn nature of electric-rock-sound that's being worn on their sleeves, a bold, non-bullshit move in these days of hyper-glossy sweater rock emo-schmeemo jackassity. Whatever, I like this a lot, and if you're into Seam or Haywood, you just might too.

The Reports - "Run Into The Night" CD (Zum #12)
I had serious misgivings about this album when I put it on and the opening notes of the first track were ripped straight out of "Just Like Heaven". But by second listen, my doubts were replaced by an appreciation for the kicky Cure goes ‘90s indie rock treatment. I’m not saying The Reports are perfect by any means - I could see how people would be annoyed by the somewhat strained, flat lead vocals, ‘80s sensibility, or seemingly simple lyrics. Personally, I couldn’t resist the marching beats, tweaky guitar, emotional turmoil, and catchy chorus of "Naked (Sometimes I Need You)". My other favorites are the title track and "Club Cowboy". The Reports are kind of like The Faint in their re-appropriation of the ‘80s - rather than a homage, they manage to give it a present day vitality. There’s a raw naivete to their approach and their earnestness works to their advantage. This is obviously not a release for everyone, but it has a greater appeal than you would imagine.

The Reports - "S/T" CDEP (Skyscraper #5)
Pop fragmented post-punk sexiness with an aggressive texture constituted of little riffs, a hook, and a synth sound. Lyrics that are twisted backwards and sideways, simple harmonies with dizzying mysticism. The Reports take a seductive song approach that is filled with endlessly interesting sounds and circular rhythms. Instead of frantic excess they chose layered repetition. These songs, while being dreamy and melodic, aren't ambient or trance heavy. They are the engaging pop aggression of The Pixies and the irresistible weird new wave pop of Satisfact. Dizzyingly winding guitar parts and hooks hidden so cleverly underneath a buzzing tangle of soft noise. You'll soon find yourself happily immersed in The Reports' twistingly persuasive and rhythmically warped ride.

The Reports - "S/T" CDEP (Nothing Left)
Wow! I put this into my CD player not knowing what was going to come out. Needless to say, I was surprised. By the time the first song, "Until Tomorrow Comes", kicked into gear, I was expecting some bad-ass rock and roll. Well, I got the bad-ass rock and roll as anticipated, but I was surprised to hear it coupled with some quirky electronic pop. Clean production and a smooth sound only make this better. Cool music for cool people. I can picture this being played at a party in some 80s teen flick. The Reports dish out solid, muscular indie rock ala The Pixies, Les Savy Fav and Jawbox sprinkled with synth-pop sass similar to the Pulsars. Smart music for smart people.

The Reports - "S/T" CDEP (Dogprint)
At times I get promos from new bands and it's always a chance; you never know what the band is going to sound like. For fun, I start to imagine from the layout and the cover of the record what it's going to sound like. Well, I didn't have enough time to even formulate a raw idea of The Reports' sound before this record hit me in the face with its brilliant post-punk 80s new wave. Right there, after only a couple of minutes into their first song, I knew I was going to fall in love with this record! Melodic and well-constructed, yet distorted, The Reports call their influences from the best elements of indie rock, punk and UK new wave. The use of keyboards adds that extra winning touch to the record and I'm hooked for good. Having ex-members of Mousetrap and Christie Front Drive may mean something to many (me included), but you should approach The Reports as a new band really. I hear the Cure, The VSS, Satisfact, and any good indie rock band you can think of as a reference point. With such an explosive debut I can hardly wait for their full-length, hoping they won't change their formula because, judging by this EP, The Reports are destined to stardom already! 10 out of 10.

The Reports - "S/T" CDEP (Rocket Fuel)
Think 80's synth pop with a more punk rock edge. Not necessarily Flock of Seagulls or Oingo Boingo stuff, but maybe more along the lines of Atom and His Package with an accompanying band, and their songs are serious and true-to-form rock songs. This is one of those records that definitely brings the fun back into a scene that, unfortunately, has been plagued with too much seriousness as of late. This record doesn't care too much about sounding amazing, but more for coming off with an attitude of "we think what we're doing is awfully kick ass, and who gives a rat's ass." While the songs tend to have as equal a focus on the guitar work as on the synthesizer, it still seems that the synth is what's being pushed more. And that's a wonderful thing. Modern day rock often uses keyboards to try to add weirdness to the songs, as opposed to attempting to accentuate them. But this is what The Reports do best. They use the keys to their advantage to make their songs stronger. A few tracks feature Kerry McDonald, formerly of Christie Front Drive. If he's leading up vocal duties on those tracks, I can hardly tell since they have more of a Girls Against Boys type cockiness to them. This record is not necessarily recommended for fans of Christie Front Drive, since it's very far away from anything they did. However, fans of GVSB, or Atom and His Package fans who are looking for something more rock, absolutely will not be let down.

The Reports - "S/T" CDEP (IndieCent)
The Reports must have mistakenly been left off the soundtrack for "The Breakfast Club". So vividly do they evoke the sound of 80s teenage alienation on this seven-song EP, one would think New Wave never went away. The Reports recall such 80s stalwarts as the Pixies, the Cure, and the Violent Femmes, but never come off as calculated nostalgia as elements of 90s hardcore keep it modern. "Until Tomorrow Comes" and "Freeway" capture the sickly pre-party jitters; the formers' lyric "we're gonna go out and we'll have a good time tonight/it's gonna be alright" reads like a mantra of youthful desperation for peer acceptance. "Happiness", with its goofy analog synth line, might have been the song in Molly Ringwald's head during any of the mushy scenes in "Pretty In Pink". And on the closing chorus of "The Audience Tonight", singer Chris Yambor winks at Robert Smith a la "Just Like Heaven". Anyone for gothcore? If John Hughes ever starts making movies again, The Reports would be a shoo-in for the band during the prom scene. They're a pop culture marvel.

The Reports - "Run Into The Night" CD (Status #11)
The Reports prove here that music can be cute without being annoying. They play easy going pop songs that remind me of when I liked anyting on 4AD. They also have their artsy moments when they play around with weird sounds, but they do cute rock really well. Cardigans are included. Rating: 3/5.

The Reports - "Run Into The Night" CD (Hanging Like A Hex #13)
Well, they know how to write a pop song that’s for sure. And they aren’t cheesy either. Life is okay. Guitar pop of the indie variety, slightly abstract but not artsy. Indulge.

The Reports - "Run Into The Night" CD (Dogprint #14)
Well, I was anxiously awaiting this debut full-length after the late 1998, amazing EP. And what do we have here? It's definitely the same band - you can hear it in the musical structure of the songs, in the characteristic vocals that made that debut EP such a good release. But the musical style, that again probably made me consider that same EP one of the best records of that year, is now somewhat lost. I understand that the band decided to go a different way - a more indie rock way rather than pursue late 1980s new wave - but that very new wave sound is what made The Reports, at least to me. Nonetheless, this is a good record and I wish the band luck.

The Reports - "S/T" CDEP (Held Like Sound)
One of the newer trends in the emo scene seems to be the turning to 80s music for inspiration. The Reports purport to do that but, other than a few synth tracks here and there, the music is mostly indie/emo stuff. Kerry from Christie Front Drive is in this band and they definitely don't sound like CFD. Yet, the songs on here, particularly "Report Radio", are really good and melodic.