"Often caught straddling the fence between harder-edge emo and a "70s-retro sound, brothers Jordan and Justin Griggs, who front the band, draw a good deal of inspiration from the last decade"s heyday of guitar-based indie bands. Some songs, like "Get Close" are reminiscent of mid-"90s Chicago emo groups such as Braid, or perhaps more rocking bands like Built to Spill. Other tracks, like "Never Get a Chance," find the band reveling in Stones-influenced old-school good-time rock "n" roll. In the end the Cushion Theory is what it is: a reliable analog rock band that provides no surprises - just lots of tightly orchestrated guitar, bass, drums, and vocals on a working man"s album." --SF Bay Guardian, 5/28/03