The self-titled debut of this young foursome from California became a success in the United States, partly thanks to single Crawling In The Dark. Following on from this album they toured intensively with Incubus, All American Rejects and Alien Ant Farm, among others. That this has done the band well can be heard on The Reason. Hoobastank sounds just a bit tighter, more aggressive but also nicer than
… on the excellent debut, although it doesn't break new ground. The sound is still loosely based on old grunge rock mixed with a modern emopop sound. In addition, Hoobastank sounds accessible enough to appeal to a large audience. So all ingredients for success are actually there. (RWK)more
