Hard Reset
The 1997 Commercial Comeback
This wasn't a mail-order cassette; it was a gamble. The band's first retail release on their own label, Engine Room Records, LLC.
While The Warehouse Tapes (1995) was a raw "bat signal" to the fans, Hard Reset was a professional statement. It sounds crisp, confident, and terrified. The "energy" of this album is fueled by the high-stakes gamble of a family betting their entire future on a single purchase order.
Liner Notes & Lore
"We're wiping the slate clean." The opening statement of their professional career. It establishes the new "Freedom Era" sound: polished, powerful 80s rock that ignores the 90s grunge trend entirely.
An upbeat duet that directly addresses their past. Ryan sings, "You were the 'Stardust,' I was the 'Engine' / A story told by someone else's invention." It is a declaration that they are finally defining themselves.
A rewriting of their 1987 hit "My Anchor Holds." In the original, they were clinging to each other for survival. In this version, they are equals: "I'm not the anchor, you're not the sail / We're just a ship that will prevail."
Holly's 50,000 Unit Gamble
For The Warehouse Tapes, the band burned CDs one at a time. For Hard Reset, Holly O'Connell (CEO) had to sign a contract for 50,000 stamped CDs and 20,000 cassettes, paid for upfront with the fans' money. If this album failed, the band wouldn't just be dropped; they would be bankrupt. The tension of that "First-Time Jitter" is audible in the tightness of the rhythm section.
