Staten Island alternative rock band Four Nights Gone are trying to take themselves to the next level. Successfully completing a tour and stacking up on their social networks, these guys entered the studio for their second EP, Resilience, which is being released on June 11th.

The EP opens up with "J. Buck," which is definitely the radio single of this record. It just might be the best and most catchy FNG song to date. Damian's vocals shine through on this track and the instrumentals are very solid too. Lots of great layering and little intricacies if you listen closely. The screaming is a good touch as well, and a change of pace.

"Broken Wings," starts off with heavy guitars, yet has a mello feel until the chorus, where it picks up. The chorus has a big feel to it, and fits perfectly within the song. There's a nice little build in the bridge that leads into a solo part before rounding out into a final chorus. That's probably the heaviest FNG gets instrument-wise, well done.

The next track is "The Scars Remain." It starts off slowly with heavily effected guitars before going crunchy at the chorus. The dueling guitar work adds a nice feel to the track, and the softer background vocals add depth to the verses. They released this track as their first single, I feel this more of a secondary single than a lead, but nonetheless, a great track.

"Monster" starts off slow with light instrumentals and very subtle electronic sounds mixed in, giving it a Linkin Park type feel musically before it changes up at the chorus. The standout in this song is the drum work by Lobes. The patterns are tight and consistent and he does a good job keeping rhythm on the toms. The choir hums at the end of the song is a great touch as well.

The last track is "The One Who Knocks." Do I see a "Breaking Bad" reference in this song...which as I type this sentence I hear Damian sing, "Breaking Bad, going mad with all this power he has." Touche FNG, touche. Listen to the words and basically hear the plot of the show. You should send it to AMC before the show ends!

TV references aside, the song is quite good and introduces some more screaming it. There's a major key change at the end that flows seamlessly, and the lyrics are among the best penned for the band.

All in all, Resilience is a major upgrade on their last EP in my opinion. Gone are all the little mistakes, the rookie recording experiments and such, this EP is for real. The sound is better, the quality and music is better, and the lyrics are more mature. Although not much time has passed since the last recording, the results are much better. Vocally, there is a major improvement as well. Everything is on point, and done well. I'm impressed guys. This EP has a much stronger commercial feel to it and is good for anyone who enjoys 3 Days Grace, Breaking Benjamin, and good alternative.

Go fourth and make music!