album at Mondophonix. Composition and lyrics Musically, the sound of Identity Crisis has been described as hardcore punk and melodic hardcore, compared to acts such as Good Riddance and Lagwagon. Punk Planet Kyle Ryan said it recalled the work of the Movielife "in that it jumps back and forth between hardcore and melodic punk that's poppy". The staff at Impact Press said it was "heavy on harmonies and melody blended together perfectly to balance the hardcore aggression of the music". Brian Manning of Punk Planet said it combined "Cali-style skate punk and screaming hardcore, with just a bit of metal edge thrown in". In a retrospective piece for BrooklynVegan, writer Andrew Sacher said on Identity Crisis the band were creating a form of post-hardcore that took inspiration from "SoCal skate punk and Bay Area thrash". In a 2004 interview, Eddie Breckenridge dismissed the album, saying that he "can't listen to that album and be excited about it" anymore, noting that Kensrue's "voice was a lot higher pitched". Kensrue is credited with writing all of the lyrics bar "In Your Hands" (which was written by Riley Breckenridge) and "Under Par" (which was co-written with their friend Ian Stift). In an interview, Kensrue said "As the Ruin Falls" was a piece by C. S. Lewis that they added music to. "A Torch to End All Torches" and "Under Par" deal with depression in youth. Release Martinez said Nick Bogardus would often call the store, which he thought was a good opportunity to promote the upcoming Thrice album. Bogardus took a copy to his office and heard it over the course of a few days, and eventually visited the store to meet Kensrue. Bogardus told him that Greene and Martinez would be in Europe around the album's planned release, and told him that he would be willing to help the band. Identity Crisis was released on Greenflag Records on June 6, 2000, with distribution being handled by No Idea, Revelation Records and Sound of California. The label was purposely made for the band; it evolved out of Greene Records. The album was limited to 1,000–2,000 copies. During one show at the Chain Reaction club in California, it dawned on the band that Bogardus was taking on a managerial role, so they decided to formally ask him to be their manager. Through the local fanzine Skratch Magazine, the band were put in contact with