Review Summary: The genre of pop-punk is pretty much nothing but shit, right?
Just because your little sister likes it, doesn’t mean it’s bad, right? I mean c'mon, Fall Out Boy may not have the same reputation as Circle Takes the Square, but who isn’t up for some upbeat power pop every now and then, excluding metal heads, that is. Some may call the pop-punk and power-pop genres worthless and without merit. I strongly disagree. True, Bad Astronaut or Say Anything don’t have the same, deep musical compositions or, debatably, technical prowess of say, progressive music or post-rock. That’s not the goal of these shallow, simplistic bands. They provide immediately gratifying, pleasurable music. This is where power-pop band, End Transmission, comes into play. Devour is by no means a musical masterpiece. End Transmission’s debut album is not entirely original, and I would call it a bit shallow or superficial. Now that that’s out of the way, I really liked this. It serves the purpose nicely. Devour is chock- full of catchy, sometimes synth-laden, beats and great vocals, with 11 immediately enjoyable songs. The album flows very nicely, and there was never a point when I wanted to skip a song; there’s something to be said for that. The most blatant explanation for this is the variety. In a fairly stale genre of look-alikes, End Transmission manage to use their influences very nicely. “89” would fit nicely on the better half of an All-American Rejects’ record. “Better” showcases End Transmissions’ more punk side and I swear I’ve heard it before on a Bad Astronaut album. The most apt comparison I could make would probably be to Say Anything’s ...Is A Real Boy, without the innovation, songwriting, and crazy, of course. Devour is a solid album, and it manages to steer clear of the usual pop-punk cliches pretty adequately. The songs aren’t well-written by any means, but most of them are relatable and enjoyable, in a quirky way. The vocals are ultimately what set End Transmission apart from your average, generic, power-pop band, and if they happen to succeed on any level it will most likely be because of Zeke Berkeley and his voice. There’s no reason to expect an album the likes of ...Is A Real Boy, but if you’re in the mood for some mindless, upbeat music I urge you to give this a listen. And with the length barely topping 37 minutes, you don’t have a whole lot to lose.
Recommended Tracks:
Talking In Circles
Better
Right Side of the Bed
