Have you ever had a moment when listening to a record where you put your head in you hands and wonder, “How in the hell are these guys so talented? How is it possible to write an album that is so consistently catchy?” Well folks, wait no more, because if you like pop-punk in the vein of Screeching Weasel, The Lillingtons, and The Riptides then this album will do it for you.
Report, the newest effort from Illinois’ The Copyrights, is their most solid release to date. The boys pump out 14 songs where each one is equally as catchy and anthemic as the last. The album’s opening track “Slider” kicks the record off with a cool and low-key bass riff that then explodes into an unapologetically powerful intro that firmly plants the standard for the rest of the record.The melodies and hooks on this album are insane, drawing from what seems to be every instrument in their ensemble to contribute to the sing along choruses. Innovative and interesting bridges (see “Stuck in The Fall”) remind the listeners that this is a band that has over a decade of writing and touring under their belts and are only getting better. The sheer singability (see what I did there?) of this record alone makes it everything that this reviewer could want from a modern day pop-punk album.
The only gripe that I have with this album is the lyrics. The Copyrights have a knack for being able to cleverly say the same things on each of their records. For the most part, the standard pop-punk themes of struggling with money, relationships, and trying to have a good time through it all abound. The saving grace in this respect is that the lyrics are so catchy that it makes me want to claw my eyes out (in a good way). They didn’t try to reinvent the lyrical wheel on this release and that adds to its charm. They are what they are, and what they are is a pop-punk band that has honed their specific sound to the best version of themselves yet.
You can check out Report via Red Scare Industries.
Score: 5/5
1. Slider
2. Heart Of Glue
3. Telescope
4. Stuck In The Fall
5. This World Is Such A Drag
6. Keep The Change
7. Worlds On Fire
8. No Knocks
9. Fireworks
10. Wishbone
11. The New Frontier
12. Try So Hard
13. Basement
15. Away We Go
•Atomic Sky Reviews• 