From ALTERNATIVE PRESS:
“STAY HOME, Transit’s breakout EP, seemed poised to make the band a serious contender in the pop-punk arena owned by bands such as Set Your Goals and Hit The Lights. There were hints that the band were working from a different point of view…LISTEN & FORGIVE is the fully realized evolution of their sound. A spiritual cousin to Saves The Day’s sonic left turn STAY WHAT YOU ARE, this album all but abandons the frenetic punk pace of the band’s prior material, favoring the kind of thoughtful, balanced songwriting championed by peers such as Tigers Jaw and Hostage Calm. Where Transit goes from here is anyone’s guess--and that’s a rarity in pop-punk.”
From ABSOLUTEPUNK:
“Listen & Forgive is another stage in Transit’s phenomenal progression, but it is one where they took a leap or a bound rather than a small step. This album will be a critical darling, but more than many other records released this year, it has the chance to impact listeners right away, without losing relevancy after a numerous spins. The phrase I used earlier, “immediately nostalgic,” might express that thought a bit more coherently – you might not know where, but you’ve heard Listen & Forgive before. Maybe it was taken from bits and parts of your favorite records from earlier years; maybe it comes from the lyricism and how it reminds you of something from your past; maybe the phrase deja entendu is a little more relevant here than I’d like to lead on, in more ways than one. One thing is certain – Transit took the best of an expanding genre and blended it with equal parts passion and innovation, and they created a hell of a memorable record.”
From ROCK SOUND (UK):
“On the back of LISTEN & FORGIVE, Transit are going to prove a vital part of what feels like an important and fresh movement…Transit could become very big news indeed.”
“Transit is a band that bring back the glory days where scribbling one-liners on your notebooks were the only moments that drowned out the white noise of high school. Their 90’s emo-influences mixed with traditional indie and pop punk proves they are not afraid to divert from the masses by continually pushing boundaries to cover a vast array of genres. Their lyrics are dramatic, their music is filled to the brim with raw emotion and their song arrangements are nothing short of enticing. Listen & Forgive only further confirms that Transit is one of the most exciting acts in the scene today.“
From SPUTNIKMUSIC:
“I never saw Transit heading in this direction. I don’t think anybody did to be honest. Change isn’t something that’s welcomed with a lot of fans and their favorite band, but with Listen & Forgive it will please all fans; old and new alike. If Transit keeps making progressions like this, I think they might become the most influential band of generations to follow.“
From BIG CHEESE (UK):
“Transit’s LISTEN & FORGIVE is full of gems. Treading an interesting line between indie rock and punk rock, jangly Appleseed Cast-esque guitars are married with anthemic vocals and driving drumbeats…”
From ROCK REVIEWS 24/7:
“Transit’s latest album, Listen & Forgive, is something to be proud of. Let’s clear that up right before the get go. Transit have already been making noise in the punk scene with the Alternative Press naming them as one of the top 20 fall releases to hear in 2011. With Fall Out Boy’s Patrick Stump even giving guest vocals on a song, it’s clear that the band must be doing something right. And that “something right” is Listen & Forgive. In fact, it doesn’t do something right but more or less does everything right. Echoing bands like Saves The Day, the album is a melodic piece of brilliance. It’s an album that everyone can relate to. With songs such as Over Your Head, Transit hit home hard. It’s a record that if you ever have a shitty day, you can throw on and realise that everyone has days similar to you…To sum up the record, it’s the bands best release. Catchy melodies and catchier hooks make up the record and it’s easily one of the best albums of the second half of this year. Transit may not know it yet, but they have probably outdone what they even hoped to make in Listen & Forgive. To pass up this record and give it a miss would be criminal.”
From MINDEQUALSBLOWN:
“In the period of one year, Transit has grown from aggressive pop-punk into an indie/Midwestern emo band more influenced by Braid and American Football. Since the band released Keep This To Yourself in August of last year, they have released a mostly-acoustic EP and a 7”, and their progression is easy to trace when listening to the records. The band developed right before our eyes and in a way faster than many bands do in their entire careers. While some fans will surely miss their former sound, to not call their Rise Records debut, Listen & Forgive, their best work would just be a lie. I was going to start this off by saying how good the first four tracks are, until I realized that cutting it off at four is unfair. I wanted to extend it to five tracks; then to six. There simply is not a bad track on the record…Transit has managed to release one of the best records of the year, in a year that has been incredibly stacked with great records. To think that this is just the beginning for Transit is mind-boggling. Most bands don’t find progression like this until late in their career and a good deal of the members of Transit are younger than I am.”
