"romantics, significant others and love-lost be forewarned: the first note from vocalist lorrie u. will have you sighing like a lil' sissy. the most apparent trait of going stagg is the band’s dual personality. at a note's notice, this innocent band stops skulking about in its quiet introspective way and reaches for the noisy, shaken can of pop (music) that’s ready to spray feedback and fuzzed chords all over your turntable. each of the four songs on this 7" ep cuts out the fat and gets straight to the deliciously catchy good stuff that make pop songs timelessly enjoyable. it's cool, it's rockin' and for those rock-snobs in the audience, there's a sassy cover of red dye no. 5's "torn shoe" to take you back to yesteryear!"
splendid e-zine

"pops in both rock mode and cute mode. the first song balances out cute doodley verses and rocky chorus bursts. the hot guitar solo at the end kind of caught me off guard but now that i've listened to this a bunch i can tell you it's entirely essential. they cover red dye no. 5's zippy rocker "torn shoe" to round out the a side. "ryanoceros" has a cool dual guitar action happening, with quiet plink-offs and rock bursts. i really like the way they go from guitar pop to rockness. "windmill" stats soft the entire stretch... it's a sweet tune from a grade schooler's point of view. oh, i'd like to point out that I like the singer's voice a lot. so you combine that with their rocking pop style and solid beats, and you have yourself a nicely rounded-out band."
-aj, light rotation

"another winner from kittridge records. they need to be commended for releasing this fine pop gem by going stagg... this is their debut single and it's a wowser. i*love* this. the first two songs, one of which is a red dye no.5 song, are rockin' pop (if they were from the midwest I'd say they are delicate emo but these boys and girls are from sun valley, ca.) with the sweetest vocals and lyrics. great dynamics for a pop band. the second side shows a more mellow side, but not without dynamic outbursts. bands to reference: that dog, bella vista, velocity girl."
-jeffrey, kickbright

"this is one of the most refreshing pop bands ive heard in a long time. bt it's not pure bouncy pop. with excellent guitar work playing loud and fast and hard, this band can rock too! ... "close your eyes" is the indie pop gem on this album, with a bob your head rhythm, the somewhat off-tone female vocals, and a real rocking chorus… the sonic blast of guitars hits, and the song suddenly turns into a rock song, loud and fast, with some amazing guitar work. what a great song! …this is an amazing 7-inch, getting better with every listen. the way that this band can incorporate pop vocal styling and rhythm with sonic guitar rock is something to be heard…this is definitely a band to watch out for."
-jeff, delusions of adequacy

"keyboard bands are still the minority, though, even within the tolerant environs of indie-pop. more typical are the two songs on the a-side of this kittridge records single by going stagg, an original called "close your eyes" and a cover of "torn shoe", by red dye no. 5. both are short, cheerful punk-pop, girlish female vocals over clipped but decisive guitar/bass/drums accompaniment. there are dozens of these bands, hypotheses for how the go-go's might have sounded if they'd grown up ten years younger and anywhere but LA. going stagg seem closer to an identity of their own on the b-sides, "ryanoceros" jagged and abrupt like a cross between b'ehl and fugazi that contrives not to sound as strident as sleater-kinney, "windmill" a spare, frayed guitar/handclaps/voice piece as if billy bragg spent his youth watching people in the mall of america instead of on english council estates."
-glenn, the war against silence