Record Label: Epitaph
Genre: Pop
Band Link: link
Buy on Amazon.com link

So I know that most of the punk purists are going to lambaste Epitaph for signing a band so clearly commercially viable. These guys aren’t really punk, seeing as they have the synths, the detailed production, and sound more like NSync than NOFX. But you know what, I really tried to hate this one and I couldn’t. I fucking love it.

The best part about the Higher is that they write really simple punky songs and give them the full-on pop treatment. Yes it sounds overproduced, but that’s part of what I like about it. There’s a distinct echo of Fall Out Boy, but unlike said band, I feel like these guys aren’t looking for any kind of credibility. This is pop music, filled with hooks, sensitive vocals, and singles galore. I seriously think this is going to blow up huge.

Usually I try to veer away from anything so obvious and cheesy, but here I don’t know why, I really took to this. Part of it is the fact that if you strip away the production, there are still a whole bunch of well-written songs. They’re a guilty pleasure in the same vein as the Postal Service; they’re still a cut above listening to say, Panic!!!!!!!At The Disco.

The album starts with four top-notch tracks that make you want to dance and really get into the groove. Weapons Wired sounds like it could be the big single, perfectly paced with a great chorus hook. Track 5, Histrionics is an anthemic, sexually obvious, acoustic hand-clapper that sits on that fine line between awesome and pure fromage, but I’m thinking that it’s closer to awesome in that it really doesn’t try to be anything else but a quick little ditty. The album peters out a little bit in the middle, but picks up again towards the end. Our Movie Rules has these amazingly over-the-top synth strings, and sounds just like Blink 182, but at that point in the album you’ll either be enthralled by the band’s cheesiness or absolutely ready to vomit. The final track, Pace Yourself is a full-on R&B beat that sounds ready for Ciara or Kelis. But fuck, if you didn’t realize that this is a pop album by then, you’d have turned it off right away.

I wouldn’t be surprised if most people can’t stand this album. It has over-the-top written all over it, but I guess after listening to too many punk bands that sounds the same, it’s nice to hear something different.

Bottom Line: More pop than punk, these guys embrace the cheese and make the most out of it. Awesome in the same way the 80s teen movies are totally watchable.
Notable Tracks: Insurance, Weapons Wired, Histrionics, Pace Yourself
Overall Rating: