Labels: Black Numbers
Review by: Andy Malcolm
It’s been a very long time since I checked into what I would thoughtlessly define as the “Fest” pop punk scene, but about 5 seconds into this, you know that’s exactly what you’ve got here. I don’t blame anyone for being in a pop punk band, it’s no doubt a shit load of fun and a good way to wile away a couple of years in your mid 20s if that’s a position you can put yourself in. But oh boy, if you are not someone who is going to all those gigs and buying all the LPs and has just dipped in for a moment, there’s not a lot going on for you here. This music is studiously by the book. What has it got to offer me personally? Not a lot, although “Piled High” did give me some nice Texas is the Reason pangs. This pop punk style has slowly mutated over the past decade, taking on influences from the twiddly emo scene to inject a little variation. But it’s all so clean and sensible. No ragged edges. No sense that you’re listening to people doing something because they had to just get those demons out. It’s just the sound of a band that is good at playing pop punk, ready made to soundtrack your 800 mile drive to Fest and back. I find it intriguing that a successful self sustaining scene has been born from this so insular style of music, but hey, all the old punks complain that things ain’t what they used to be but punk never was intended for the old bastards anyway.