While O'Brother is perhaps not the most commercial, or even most enjoyable band out there, they have their place in a record collection. They're more likely to be the band that your stoner mate reiterates the merits of time and time again. But, for a certain mood, and a certain time and place, they've got a pretty good product here.

This self-titled release is a fitting representation of a band in both a musical and stylistic context. It’s over quickly, but presents an intensity that makes the album sustainable. OFF!, as musicians are collective veterans. So the approach is created out of confidence and experience. It’s a punk record; you know the drill.

Sitting and listening to ‘Young Blood’ in its entirety is a very boring experience due to the stock standard metalcore nature of the music. Picking individual tracks is far more entertaining and the band would no doubt destroy things in a live setting. However, many will feel that they need more from this album.

Without knowing much about the New Zealand hardcore scene, it is safe to say that if Out Cold A.D.'s 'This Is Survival' is anything to go by, Australian hardcore may have something worthy of a rivalry.

It’s hard to know what to make of this album. On ‘The OF Tape Vol. 2’, California hip-hop collective Odd Future have neglected the wide spectrum and unpredictable stylistic changes that made previous posse album ‘Radical’ such an entertaining mixtape. The result is an 18-track effort that is much less than the sum of the group’s parts, hampered by sub-standard, lazily produced beats and samey verses laced with shamelessly transparent gimmicks. Several amazing tracks may lift the mood, but it is not enough to redeem the droll mess surrounding them.