With three independently released albums, Edmonton’s Ten Second Epic is well on their way to building a strong following in North America and around the world. The Three Days Grace style of punk influenced rock is the result of the hard work of the band’s members, who create a solid and unified sound where the vocals and instruments are well balanced. There’s only one truly dynamite song from Better Off and it’s “Young Classics,” which combines incredible guitar riffs with a drummer who puts on a clinic in effort and a singer who could easily be singing “Riot.” Aside from the lead track, Better Off has little else exciting to offer listeners. However, because of the range in speed, sound, and the central theme of relationships, the album as a whole is a complete success. After the 2010 release of Hometown, Ten Second Epic experienced their first, and certainly not last, taste of success and clearly they want more. Hometown earned nominations at the Juno Awards, but fell short of the Arkells for New Group of the Year. That success led to a tour through Europe and Japan, playing on the same stage as Youmeatsix and Kids In Glass Houses. Back on Canadian soil, Ten Second Epic kicked off the new release with a Canadian tour which stopped in Winnipeg on November 19, at the West End Cultural Center. (Black Box Recordings, tensecondepic.com) Jesse Blackman