We Are The In Crowd

We Are the In Crowd are a female-fronted American pop/punk band from Poughkeepsie, NY, formed in 2009. The members are Taylor “Tay” Jardine (vocals, keyboards), Jordan Eckes (rhythm guitar, vocals), Cameron Hurley (lead guitar), Mike Ferri (bass), and Rob Chianelli (drums). We Are the In Crowd write songs about love and relationships (in decline, mostly) in which adorably cute vocalist Tay takes the female perspective (obviously) and guitarist Jordan responds from a male perspective, almost like a dialogue, telling, as the title of their own song suggests, “both sides of the story.” I don’t typically like bands with dual male/female vocals, but, with Tay and Jordan, it works well. We Are the In Crowd‘s sound is Paramore-inspired emo-ish pop/punk similar to other female-fronted American bands like Renfue or Cassadee Pope‘s former band Hey Monday, or Australia’s Tonight Alive. I love Paramore-inspired pop/punk bands, and I love adorably cute female singers. We Are the In Crowd have toured regularly with bands such as All Time Low and Mayday Parade, and have appeared at Warped Tour in 2010 and 2012. Their debut EP, Guaranteed To Disagree, was released in 2010, and followed up by their first full-length album, Best Intentions, in 2011. Their second album is set for release later in 2013.

We Are the In Crowd‘s debut EP, Guaranteed To Disagree (2010), is aptly titled. Each of the 7 tracks uses the band’s male/female dynamic to express both sides of romantic discord with varying degrees of hope or lack thereof. Of course, clever lyrics, punky beats and plenty of hooks underscore the vocal intercourse. In “Never What You Want”, with guest vocals courtesy of Will Pugh of Cartel, Tay says, with compassion: “I’ll never be what you want / I wouldn’t change any part of me / Just to make you stay.” But, in “Both Sides of the Story”, compassion is out the door, with Tay: “And I’ve found out … / (Do you really even have a clue?) /… you’re not quite Satan, but I really think I hate you!” I love how she sings those last two words in the first and final choruses! These two songs are definite favorites here, but, the rest are nearly as good, especially, for me, “Lights Out” and “We Need a Break”. Did I mention that Tay Jardine has a wonderful voice? No? Well, she does. Listen to her in the video for the acoustic version of “Never What You Want” here:

And, watch the video for “Both Sides of the Story” here:

Best Intentions (2011) is bigger and, if not better, at least as good as the prior year’s EP. This time, Tay and Jordan try, with best intentions, to make things work. But, all is not in vain, and love, in fact, even blooms in the excellent single “Kiss Me Again”, a tale of intense attraction, which was re-recorded with male vocals

courtesy of Alex Gaskarth of All Time Low (and added as an iTunes bonus track). Jordan Eckes is a good singer, but Alex Gaskarth is a better singer, and this version should have been a huge mainstream hit single for this band. But, love is fleeting, and Tay, alone, deals with the consequences in the sadly beautiful ballad “You’ve Got It Made”. Tay’s heartfelt vocals, in this song, are amazing, and the lyrics, so bittersweet: “I reach out to you for help / I see myself in envy or do I admire how happy you are? / Either way I’d walk in your shoes / But, she fits them better / She fits them better than… me.” This is my favorite We Are the In Crowd song, bar none. Jordan responds only in the bridge and, as much as I love this band’s dual vocals, I’d like to hear more songs like this one, with just Tay singing lead. Anyway, other favorite tracks are “Rumor Mill”, “All Or Nothing”, “On Your Own”, and “See You Around”. But, any song by We Are the In Crowd is good. Oh, and other bonus tracks included on the Deluxe Edition are an acoustic version of “Rumor Mill” and a cover of “Grenade” (Bruno Mars).

Watch the videos for “Kiss me Again” and “Rumor Mill” here:

And, watch Tay and Jordan performing “You’ve Got It Made” live here:

We Are The In Crowd Discography
2010.06.08 – Guaranteed To Disagree (Hopeless Records) [EP]
2011.10.04 – Best Intentions (Hopeless Records) [Album]
2013.05.08 – “Sic Transit Gloria… Glory Fades” (Hopeless Records) [Single]
2013 – ?