Hailing from Sacramento, this quintet evokes the sound of other bands from the golden state’s capital such as the Deftones, Papa Roach, and Far in addition to other hardcore groups. The opening guitar riff on "5 Seconds", Worthless Smile’s first track would be just as comfortable on Helmet’s Meantime as it is on this third release from Shortie on Go Big! Records.

With obvious roots in emocore, Shortie maintains a hard edge throughout the album while also creating memorable melodies. This sort of dichotomy is present throughout Worthless Smile on a variety levels. Whether it is the smooth melodic vocals of lead singer Pogus overlaying coarse screams on tracks like "David Bowie" and "Reaction Time" or how the powerful tone of the band is carefully controlled by the production of Dave Dominguez whose previous work includes Papa Roach, Weezer, and The Offspring, the band manages to meld these contrasting elements into one very listenable collection of songs.

The album’s greatest surprise, however, is the excellent closing track, a cover of Portishead’s "Sour Times" which also appeared on their sophomore release Watching You Drown. Such recycling of tracks would receive only criticism, but the transformation of the song into Shortie’s forceful style while showcasing Pogus’ very capable singing is the perfect way to end the album and let it be known that there’s more to Shortie than meets the eye.