The Awkward Romance is a new indie rock quartet to emerge from Covington, Georgia. Their debut independent release, appropriately titled Covington, blends emo, punk, and indie rock, citing strong influences from artists like Weezer, Jimmy Eat World, and even old school Switchfoot.

Covington takes a raw approach to the genre. The underproduced nature of the record keeps the music feeling up close and personal, but loses some of the edge and power that songs like "Little Cloud Dog" or "The Story Arc" could have sonically. Vocally, Drew Phillips brings a punk/emo feel to the songs. Unfortunately, the moments where vocals are layered, the sound becomes somewhat muddled whereas a stronger production would enable more clarity. Phillips pushes his vocals on tracks like "Nostalgia In The Key Of 'A'," but doesn't seem to have a full grasp on what he can do with it yet.

As with a lot of independent artists just starting out, The Awkward Romance is a little rough around the edges, but overall have a pretty good thing going for them. If they continue in the direction they're going, growing in songwriting maturity, you may be hearing more about these guys before too long.

- Review date: 05/30/04, written by John DiBiase