11/22/05-"Here, on the band's debut release, the band shows its impressive songwriting skills and it's ability to effectively capture moods...The band's pleasantly melancholic sounds recall '90s indie music and other Bay Area masters of the genre P.E.E. and Citizens here and abroad. As the band grows musically, I might expect even thicker productions."-Mesh Magazine 11/1/05-"Although Finest Dearest claim that 'the dark indie-pop movement has begun,' listening to the San Francisco quintet reminds me of the late '90s, before iPods and Myspace, when K Records meant something and "indie pop" was still a phrase in my vocabulary. But hey, let's call it a draw and say it's a revival. Finest Dearest take dreamy melodies and meet them with sometime shoegaze-y and drone-y, sometimes bouncy and minimalist guitars. Featuring a singer whose gentle, dulcet voice recalls Connie Lovatt and Rebecca Gates, the band takes me back to a time when indie rock was more about earnestness than irony."- San Francisco Bay Gurdian, 8 days a week 10/28/05-"These new SF band proudly let it be known that they in fact are spring chickens (their bio says that they "were born in the '80s, raised by the '90s"), and their youth definitely shows in Pacemaker's punchy energy level and wide-eyed vocal sweetness, but the band also shows some pop smarts beyond their years. Influences that they cite include Pavement, Sonic Youth, Blonde Redhead and Cursive, and the impact of those bands is clearly evident. However, they fortunately haven't fallen into the easy trap of simply mocking their idols. They're not just a soundalike. Theirs is solid guitar driven indie pop defined by some interesting postrock-ish twists and graced by the swoonsome female vocals of Ms Carly Schneider (whose soft voice you might've also heard on the equally well-received debut release from another Bay Area band Empty Rooms). This EP fits well alongside fellow Bay Area smart pop upstarts Tartufi, and also recalls acclaimed 90's indie bands such as PEE and Velocity Girl. A very promising debut!"-Aquarius Records 10/6/05- "We're excited to watch where this comely and talented co-ed group's bright future takes them..."- SFist.com, (Pacemaker EP giveaway) MP3 Reviews 9/15/05-If you like mashed potatoes and pb&j, read this post about FD at 3hive 9/11/05-Check out these posts about Finest Dearest on gorilla vs. bear and you ain't no picasso 9/6/05-" “Sleep Until the Weekend” is a fantastically earnest (or earnestly fantastic?) song on any music fan’s scale, but I have a feeling that this is not a one time operation for Finest Dearest. Maybe it’s that the band's other MP3, “Idaho,” is equally impressive for such a young band, or maybe it’s simply the way these six individuals come together to make such hopeful, beautiful music..." read full review at Delusions of Adequacy 9/1/05-"To me Finest Dearest are everything I like about good old fashioned Indie music, they seem to be a bit Weddoesish a bit Bellyish at times, of course they may take offence at my comparisons here, either way, It's good music...." read the rest at spoiltvictorianchild 8/29/05-San Fran’s Finest Dearest have that whole 90s female kinda almost but not quite grunge band feel to them except that they are not all female, grunge died a while back, and who cares about the 90s anymore? Its 2005, people (and nature) are pissed, fighting, anxious, broke, desperate and generally in a bad mood. Finest Dearest captures this overall feeling, especially in their mp3s “Sleep Until The Weekend” and “Idaho,” two dark indie pop tunes. Lead singer Carly’s sweet voice goes along nicely with the dark and moody backdrop of her guitar, bass, cello and drum playing coherts." - Jason Wilder, mysteryandmisery.com