Review Summary: Rufio make Pop-Punk in 2010 relevant again.
When it comes to pop-punk, let's be honest - the majority of it sucks. Pretentious songs, catchy yes but nothing everlasting, nothing with enough heart and soul to be considered a memorable release. I love pop-punk despite this though, and I spend many painful hours sorting through trash and the results usually leave me frustrated.
Then comes Rufio, a band that I had heard of but never really put time into checking out. I decide on a whim to pick up their newest release "Anybody Out There" and boy am I more than glad I did. Here the guys stuff 36 minutes of awesomeness into 12 pop-punk anthems that will have you instantly singing along and wanting to hit the repeat button on every track.
It's rare to find any album that keeps my attention from beginning to end, but Rufio do this very well. Saving the only slow number for the last track of the album, allowing your brain to be fed a multitude of endorphins throughout the first 33 minutes . Not to say the final track "Moonshine" is bad, because by all means it's a great track in its own right, but it definitely doesn't hold a candle to the rest of the album, and could be the reason I can't bring this to a 5.
Don't expect anything groundbreaking here, but do expect to find a lot of great guitar work, and (gasp) vocals that don't sound like a 14 year old heartbroken boy, and lyrics that are actually pretty great considering the genre. Sure, this has been done before, but Rufio are making pop-punk in 2010 relevant again...and this is not an album to be missed.
