What would you get if you crossed Panic! at the Disco, Hawthorne Heights and Fall Out Boy? Aside from a lot of crying emo kids and maybe the occasional slit wrist, you'd probably also end up with Crash Romeo – a jolly, pop-punk/emo quintet with harmless, sing-a-long quality lyrics. Good thing? I think so.
The beginning track, Minutes to Miles, is probably my favourite track on the album, starting off gently and leading into a Fall Out Boy-esque, quick-tempo pop-punk ballad. Only, it seems a little bit more likeable than some of FOBs tracks. Crash Romeo take something which could be bad and make it rather likeable. Outburn Magazine certainly got it right when they praised this album as "A diamond in the rough an oversaturated genre".
The next track, Serious, lacks the likeability of its predecessor, seeming just a bit too much. Even then, But it does still seem quite refreshing, the high-pitched vocals of Travis Weber providing a change from the usual mediocre tones of many of today’s soft bands, breaking away from the likes of Plain White Ts and sounding a little more like New Found Glory. Only less annoying, by far. On the odd occasion, Weber, sadly, does sound like he's trying too hard, but then again, at least he is trying!
The album continues in a similar vein, generally remaining in that upbeat emo that Fall Out Boy and Panic! have made into their own. Sadly, the first track aside, not many of the other tracks leap out as amazing, despite the relative talent of Steve Anderson as a guitarist. The songs do, on the plus, gel together quite nicely, sounding complete and not lacking, not getting too repetitive or falling flat.
This certainly is one of better soft records that I've been able to add to my collection, tracks such as Die in Your Arms adding a little variety with it's minor chords and floating melody. The pleasant synth parts help to keep the record going too, particularly on the slower tracks. A fault? The lyrics may get a little too sing-a-long and repetitive for some, but there's no doubt that fans of New Found Glory, Simple Plan and all of the other emo/pop-punk bands out there today will love this CD. It may not be the most original record on the planet, but it still has a certain quality that makes me just want to listen to it one more time.
7/10
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