In 2008, Pete Wentz announced that he was signing a band called A Rocket To The Moon. On October 13, 2009 through Fueled By Ramen Records, A Rocket To The Moon released their first full length CD together, officially titled On Your Side. Popular producer of some big time hits, Matt Squire, was along for the ride to help produce the high quality CD, with the four members; Nick Santino who sings and plays guitar, Justin Richards, the band’s guitarist, Eric Halvorsen on bass and Andrew Cook rocking the drums.

The CD begins with Annabelle, followed by eleven more tracks. The opener is the perfect song that any guy would play for the girl who he wants to wash his hands of. It’s almost your typical high school, angst-filled break up song, especially when vocalist Nick Santino sings, “I got a heart and you got lipstick” because no girl likes being told she’s heartless, especially to a crowd.

The next couple of songs are pretty upbeat and happy songs, ones that catch your attention and are stuck in your head all day. The catchiness of Mr. Right explains why it was chosen from the CD as their single and video choice. A Rocket To The Moon also manages to keep your interest through their uses of rhythmic clapping on songs such as Give A Damn. Dakota is a track that was previously released by A Rocket To The Moon on Greetings From. The only major difference between the separate tracks that is easily distinguishable, is the way they were each mixed. The sound of the version recorded for On Your Side sounds like it was specially mixed for radio, which is not a bad thing when you are trying to get your name out there as a smaller band on the scene. When On Your Side comes to On A Lonely Night, it’s a song that makes you stop and realize that guys do, in fact, have a genuine bone in their body. As I listen to it, I find myself going “aw” in my mind at a boy being so in love with a girl. Many girls will more than likely, hold this song close to their heart with hope. Like We Used To and Baby Blue Eyes are two other songs that, along with On A Lonely Night, are the slower songs of the album. The chorus to Like We Used to is the most memorable part of the song. Though some people believe that a song should catch your attention at the beginning and keep it throughout the entirety of a song, my attention is caught while the chorus is sung and only then. The third ballad on the CD is Baby Blue Eyes and though not everyone agrees that three songs of the slower variety belong on one CD, it would be a shame not having it because the track does add some variety to their sound.

When creating and producing a record, not all bands decide to have guests in the studio to add to their songs. However, the band chose to let Caitlin Harnett appear on the song On A Lonely Night adding a soft backing melody to contrast with Santino’s voice. Brandon Wronski, from Eye Alaska, also shows up during the song Sometimes.

Listening to the CD in it‘s entirety, the mood created fluctuates. Through some parts, the lyrics, the beats and the melodies speak volumes about the song. It’s always been a personal belief of mine that lyrics and sound are an equal part in a great song, but if there isn’t a catchy beat, you can easily lose the interest of a listener, causing them to no longer want to listen to any more of it.

No fan is ever happy when a band changes their sound, which is how many of the fans from the bands older days seem to be feeling about A Rocket To The Moon’s latest release, especially when you listen back to songs from the Summer 07 EP as well as Your Best Idea. However, people grow and change, as does the line up of a band. Since those previous releases, the band has grown and is no longer a single person as it was originally. When Nick Santino had Richards, Halvorsen and Cook join his band, it was apparent that A Rocket To The Moon’s sound was beginning to transform when Greetings From was released. Broadening their talents and learning to cooperate and accommodate everyone in one band’s musical taste, it is easy to see why the change occurred. The band managed to do so gracefully and wonderfully, as is shown by the welcoming support of what On Your Side has received.

- Kelsi Ward