Credit: Jason Hall

I have loved Straylight Run since the first time I heard “Existentialism on Prom Night.” The group’s self-titled first album, though not without its bubble gum pop flaws, is one of my favorites from last year.

When I went to pick up Prepare To Be Wrong, Straylight Run’s new six song EP, I really didn’t know what to expect.

The songs on the EP are more like “Sympathy for the Martyr” than any of the other songs off the first album. While the music is similar and undeniably Straylight Run, the lyrics are darker and more cynical.

Decidedly anti-Bush and anti-war, the group covered “With God on our Side” by Bob Dylan for punkvoter.com in the build-up to last year’s election, and the song closes out the EP.

“Later That Year” is a pretty song about the death, destruction and lies of the war, as John Nolan sings, “this is not the way we were told that it was going to be,” and sister Michelle adds, “and we know who’s to blame.”

If you’ve seen Straylight Run live, or if you frequented the band’s Web site, you have probably heard “A Slow Descent,” which shows up on this EP. A piano ballad about a break- up between friends, or of a band (Taking Back Sunday), that was missed from the band’s first album.

Prepare To Be Wrong‘s first single, “Hands in the Sky (Big Shot)” is amazing. Tension is built up throughout, culminating in a clapping sing-along at the end.

The great thing about this EP is that every song is a highlight, and it left me wanting more.

If you liked the first album, you should love this one. And, if you’ve never heard Straylight Run before, do yourself a favor and pick it up. It’s well worth the $10.

– Seth Roy