EP REVIEW: Nothing About Me - Stickup Kid

Track One: Breathing

This is kind of a typical opening for an EP, but nonetheless, I’m a fan. The band breaks into a strong set of vocals that draw a ton of influence from Lifetime and Kid Dynamite. Although this song is only 1:30, they manage to cram in another clean vocal part that reminds me of Saves The Day. This track was a great way to open up the EP.

Track Two: Lighthouse

If you like Title Fight and/or Basement, you will love this song. Stickup Kid presents a stronger pop-punk side rather than melodic hardcore, like “Breathing”. 

Track Three: Dreaming Of Kenny Rogers

This song has been out as a demo for a while, so previous fans of this song will be stoked on the rerecording. This song showcases the how lyrically and musically talented the band is. Not in the fact that there’s crazy sick riffs, but in the fact that the song flows so beautifully. Although this is the second shortest song on the EP, I think it’s one of the best. 

Track Four: You Are Captain Hook

As soon as the lyrics start, I’m reminded of old Saves The Day. Although I’m not sure why since it doesn’t sound like Chris Conley, but something really reminds me of Saves The Day in this song. I have a feeling that this song will be one of the most fun songs to see live. Stage dives and pile-ons, here we come!

Track Five: The Weather Outside Is Weather

Stickup Kid saved the best for last, in my opinion. The song is a full fledged pop-punk/punk rock anthem. It’s fast, fun, and everything you could want in a pop-punk song. This track definitely showcases the bands west coast hardcore influences in parts, and I feel like this will be one of the biggest songs of the summer in the pop punk community. 

All in all, Stickup Kid are releasing a pretty awesome EP. Pick up Nothing About Me on June 5th via Adeline Records. 4/5.

Today, Undesirable People. are releasing their brand new, self-titled EP to the public. We here at Fuck Yeah Pop-Punk had the chance to review the 4-song EP for your hungry little eyes. 

The EP starts out with a bass riff that makes you go “huh?” and wonder where this EP is heading, but quickly converts into an intro reminiscent of Man Overboard’s Real Talk or Fireworks’ All I Have to Offer Is My Own Confusion. 

The 1:30 intro, “The Fall Down.” builds up to the second track on the EP, “Resting As Ruins”. This track happens to be the bands single from the EP, which was a fine choice due to the infectious chorus that will leave you humming it for weeks. 

“Olgena Vaughn; the Troubadour” starts off on somewhat of an awkward note, vocally not fitting in with the two previous tracks on the EP. I will give credit to this song though, because the chorus ultimately makes up for the awkwardness of the verses. 

The fourth and final track on this EP, “Women Be Shoppin’”, comes back strong and  completely makes up for the previous track. Undesirable People seem to have hid the best track on the EP for last, like some sort of reward for listening to their EP. The song has both a catchy verse and chorus, and a pretty excellent guitar solo in the bridge.. All the makings for an awesome pop-punk song.

All in all, the EP was pretty good. Definitely something I would recommend to my friends. Undesirable People are a relatively new band, and judging from this EP, they’re going to be a force to be reckoned with in pop-punk. Check them out on Facebook, Twitter, Myspace and PureVolume.

3.5/5

A FUCK YEAH POP-PUNK REVIEW: Boys No Good - Never Felt Better

Jacksonville, FL’s Boys No Good are certainly a force in pop-punk and hardcore to be reckoned with. With members of hardcore fathers Casey Jones and Evergreen Terrace, you begin to see how hardcore can kindly influence pop-punk, kind of like a little brother. Boys No Good’s debut Indianola Records release, Never Felt Better, is a perfect follow up to 2010’s Fat Gurls EP.  Never Felt Better shows a little bit more maturity, but enough to lose that playful hardcore/pop-punk connection that we oh-so love. 

The album starts off with a 34 second instrumental intro that opens up the first track “Bold City Tigers”, like it should be one song together. The song immediately starts with soaring clean vocals, but quickly gets down to the raw, gritty vocals that Boys No Good is known for. The chorus is bound to get instantly stuck in your head, also while paying homage to “The sunshine state”, where the band hails from. Boys No Good also carefully places a breakdown into the song, but manages to keep it rather classy, than cheesy. 

As soon as “Bold City Tigers” ends, we’re quickly welcomed with the very hardcore influenced track “Buried At Sea”. This 1:36 track is packed full of hardcore, but Boys No Good manages to slip a little pop-punk in at the end in a bridge that will be sure to help you get your two-step on. 

“So Far Gone”, the fourth track on the album, is a bit more of a forgettable track, as I found myself not paying as much attention to it as I had on the previous tracks. Although this track may not be as memorable as the others, the album picks right back up with “Jeremy Drinks Bleach”. It seems as though Boys No Good have a knack of writing choruses that are going to be stuck in your head for weeks on end, as they’ve done so with “Bleach”. In the bridge of the song, I’m surprised by the new technique thrown in, with duelling vocals similar to that of Four Year Strong or Set Your Goals, and this makes a pop-punk enthusiast like myself, extremely ecstatic. The bridge fits together like a perfect pop-punk/melodic hardcore harmony, before cutting back into the chorus and a chunky riff to end the song.

Something I’ve come to really admire about this album, is the transitions from one song to the next. Each song flows so smoothly, and there’s no difference with “Jeremy Drinks Bleach” and “Crash and Burn”. It seems as though Boys No Good has continued to draw influence from Set Your Goals, as “Crash and Burn” easily reminds me of a song that could have been on Mutiny!, but with a more punk, raspy vocal on the track. 

“Cut Your Heart Out” starts out with a very Living With Lions/Set Your Goals-esque riff, and quickly begins to sound like CA’s Heartsounds. This song definitely has a huge west-coast style to it, and being from the west coast, I’m really into it. “Cut Your Heart Out” is your typical pop-punk break-up song, but this time, the guy is finally over the girl.

The next song is another minute-and-a-half outfit titled “Serenity Now”. I’m really stoked on the fact that Boys No Good have placed these short songs on the album a couple of different times. It seems as though this is to give the listeners a bit of a break from the normal 3 minute long pop-punk song, and just give you something quick to listen to. The end of this track showcases the bands hardcore side again, and will get any hardcore fan stoked. 

Do you like the early 2000s? Did you like Drive-Thru Records in the early 2000s? Well, if so, you will most definitely be stoked on “High And Mighty”, as this song could have been a 2002 Drive-Thru Records release. Dig deep into your soul and find that nostalgia you’ve been looking for, and you’ll be blaring this song with the windows down in your Volkswagen Beetle in a mix of Sticks and Stones and Kings of Pop. 

The beginning of “Thanks for Nothing” beautifully integrates gang vocals with a punk beat and melodically perfect vocals. This song seems like the one song live that would create an instant circle pit, slowing it down to half-time for the chorus, but quickly picking it up again and getting ready to go back into a two-step beat. The song finishes off with a little bit of a chunky breakdown, and these days, it seems hard to find a band who can use a breakdown in a pop-punk song without being branded as “easycore”, and Boys No Good has found that balance.

“End of a Good Thing” clocks in as Never Felt Better’s longest song at 4:16, and until about halfway through the song, I was honestly a little bit bored. But, Boys No Good surprised me with an acapella lyric “Sometimes the end of a good thing can come so soon/It’s such a pleasure cutting ties with you”, and cuts it into a chunky breakdown with a pop-punk guitar riff over it, and leads you to believe that you’ve reached the end of the song. As the guitar is fading out, it picks back up and goes back into another riff, and picks up the chorus again. I was very surprised with End of a Good Thing, the song went from boring to something new and exciting that Boys No Good hadn’t done yet.

The album ends off with “Rosemary’s Children”. The song starts off and it seems as though this is the darkest song on Never Felt Better. The band also manages to slip the name of the album in this song, and you know when you hear an actor say the name of the movie in the script? This sort of thing gets me just as excited. As much as that excited me, the rest of the song doesn’t do much for me. It’s not a very strong end to the album, but I feel as though the majority of the album makes up for the last track. The end of the album is a fade out track (I didn’t know people still did that), of a really cool lyric, though: “I wish I could say that I’ve never felt better/But I’ve never felt worse.”

Rating: 4.5/5

Never Felt Better drops on July 26th on Indianola Records. Also, “Jeremy Drinks Bleach” is currently streaming on the band’s Facebook profile.

A review has surfaced of The Wonder Years’ 3rd full length, Suburbia I’ve Given You All And Now I’m Nothing. Check it out at Under The Gun Review. They gave it a 9.8/10. I, and I know pretty much everyone reading this, am extremely excited for this record to come out, especially after reading this review.

Check it out HERE.

I had the opportunity to take a listen to and write a review of So Many Ways’ new Self-titled EP. This band is incredible and really, really surprised me with this 7 track EP.

The EP starts with an instrumental track that doesn’t really give off the impression of a pop-punk band, and shows that So Many Ways is definitely more than your typical pop-punk band that happens to be influenced by punk and hardcore, too.

The instrumental track smoothly flows into the 2nd track, “I’ve Made A Huge Mistake”, and in comes the first line of the record, “This time you crossed the line”, in a gang vocal chant, of course. This sets up the pace of the EP, showing listeners that SMW are fast, hard, and in your fucking face. The vocalist has a very Shook Ones-esque sound to him, which I absolutely love. The vocals in the bridge escalade into a breakdown that’s going to make anyone want to make you want to two-step all over the room. Then there’s a southern hardcore riff that gets thrown in at the end, leaving you knowing that So Many Ways is different than pretty much any band out there right now. Check this song out on Facebook!

“Sleepmask” is quite a bit different from “I’ve Made A Huge Mistake”. The third track on this EP is very Four Year Strong, mixed with Such Gold and With the Punches, showing us that SMW can stick true to the pop-punk and easycore sound, without straying too far from what they’ve shown us already. This song is the singalong song on the album, and it’s definitely my favourite. There’s even a slow pretty part towards the end of the song, which builds back up into a chorus with so much emotion it makes you want to shed a tear, maybe.

“Murf’s Little Hints” take us back into the Shook Ones-esque, fast, punk EP we were listening to before “Sleepmask”, but this time, the guitars in the chorus and the verses are going to make you want to two-step all over the place. The vocals in the 2nd verse of this song are very Toby Morse and H2O sounding, which is extremely hard to pull off, but if you do, is really fucking rad. 

As we get into the latter half of the EP, we come across another Four Year Strong sounding intro. There’s a line in this song, “Oak Island” that I feel is going to be all over everyone’s Facebook statuses and Twitter accounts. “If you never existed, then we’d be better off. just based on one character, and not who they get to love.” Just you wait. It’ll happen.

The 6th track, “37 Chambers” starts out with just vocals, and I can already sense this song being crazy to see live. Pile ons, stage dives, and sing alongs. Get ready for “37 Chambers”, world, you’re going to lose your shit. Even as one of the longer song on the EP, this song is so diverse and holds the attention of the listener.

The last song on the EP, “Driftfoot”, starts out with a sample from Aqua Teen Hunger Force, and how could you NOT be stoked on that? The beginning of the song reminds me a LOT of Kid Valiant, Lifetime, but soon, again, shows the bands diversity and takes you somewhere completely different, without sounding messy and all over the place. The gang vocals in the last 45 seconds of the EP are the perfect ending to this 7 track EP. 

All in all, So Many Ways have put out an amazing EP and have grown so much as a band sine their last EP, Floridian. They’re not the biggest band around, so if you take the time to read this, please go check out So Many Ways and this EP that comes out tomorrow (01/04/11). Also, in celebration of the release of their new EP, they’re giving away their old one, Floridian, for free on BandCamp. 

http://www.facebook.com/somanyways
http://www.myspace.com/somanywaysrock
http://www.somanyways.bandcamp.com

A Fuck Yeah Pop-Punk review of Call It Fiction’s new EP, Something I’ve Never Felt. 

Something I’ve Never Felt starts out with a bouncey synth line, which is such a rad opening to the EP. I could tell already that I was going to be really into this band. Right from the start, “When You Give It All, What’s Left To Give?” reminded me of Ontario based SHARKS! mixed with All Time Low and The Wonder Years. The band uses gang vocals to emphasize the lyrics “We’re in this 200%!”, and if you’re dedicated to your band, you have me hooked. 

The next song starts with a similar bouncey, dance intro, but the meaning of the song is a little bit different. Track two, “Seasons”, is a song about summer. “Seasons” made me think about blasting it with the windows in my car down, driving around in the middle of the summer, even though I was at work when I started writing this review. In a laboratory. Pretty rad that a song did that. Track three, “Change of Heart” is, in my opinion, the low point of the EP, with this song being slightly forgettable, but don’t worry.. Call It Fiction picks it back up and kicks you in the face with more awesomeness than the first two songs on the album.

“American Werewolf in Cleveland” is going to make you wanna start some sort of circle pit, pile-on, or do something else that you wouldn’t really be able to control. This song is very Get Stoked On It! (The Wonder Years)-esque, as the vocals remind me of Soupy Campbell so much, and the music itself sticks true to Get Stoked On It! “Sitting In The Crowd” starts off with a song that I know will become a singalong amongst the crowd at every Call It Fiction show. Of all the songs on this EP, “Sitting In The Crowd” would be the “ballad” of the record. This song is very, how do I say this.. All Time Low. But in a good way, musically and melodically. 

The EP comes to a close with a faster song titled, “2012 Couldn’t Come Sooner”, this song will have the best pile-ons. Trust me. I’m tellin’ ya now. There’s guitar solos, punk beats, and a slow pretty part to really make you feel your emotions in this song. The song and EP end with a singalong, which has been stuck in my head since I listened to the EP. “Here’s to hoping that this year won’t be like the last.” 

“Like” Call It Fiction on Facebook and stream a new song! You can get the EP on iTunes, Amazon or Stockhound too.

Prom Night In Black and White’s “Before I Drown” EP was reviewed on Absolute Punk! Check it out.

My first thought upon listening to this EP was ‘Wow, these guys are going somewhere’. One of the most exciting records I’ve heard in months. The sound is so fresh and raw, that of a band having fun while they explore what they can do. The Canadian power-pop band deliver the kind of EP that you would listen to in your car on the way to a gig to get yourself revved up! 

“Zeitgeist” is the lead-in for the EP. Upon hearing this, it is obvious that this band has their sound pretty well down-pat. The music is tight, it works well and it really sets up the rest of the EP. And it doesn’t drag this out but shows the bands capabilities in a quick one minute instrumental.

The rest of the EP follows suit and does definitely not let down. The mixture of different music types is quite interesting throughout the EP and shows the band is still finding their sound. Some parts are quite catchy and pop-like whilst others can be a little heavier, with harsher vocals.

“Here’s to Hoping” and “If You Don’t Like Bruce, You Walk” remind me of a very early Fall Out Boy, and this is definitely a promising comparison. Like Fall Out Boy’s “Evening Out With Your Girlfriend” this EP shows a band early on screaming potential, as they explore their sound and make a record that is both fun and catchy. The lyrics too are reminiscent of early Fall Out Boy, about friendship and trying to make it in the scene. The lyrics are simple in some places but always strong and clear. 

“The Ballad Of Taylor Ruey” gives the listener a real idea of Joel’s vocals as the music slows down and gives him a chance to show off his voice, which he does extremely well. This song is truly amazing and I believe it really shows the potential of this band. This song reminds me of Cute Is What We Aim For, when they too slow their music down. It softens the vocals to show the range of Joel’s voice. Again, this shows the bands potential. This song in particular, feels like that of a much more experienced and mature band. 

“Stand Your Ground” follows suit and captures the journey of the band. It is fun and easy to listen to. It seems each song has something different about it as the band really try to solidify their sound. The entire record will make you want to sing along. Mostly though, it will make you want to hear more!

This record truly screams potential and I personally can’t wait to see how this band develops. 

Recommended If You LikeEarly Fall Out Boy, Cute Is What We Aim For, easy, fun listening.

http://myspace.com/promnightinblackandwhite

Source