Minutes to Miles,
Crash Romeo
The last time I got stung with Trustkill Records was when I purchased the horrible Armsbendback record. I admit I was suckered in by the sticker which said 'For Fans Of...Taking Back Sunday', but that isn't really a decent excuse. And anyway, whoever wrote that stickered blurb should get their ears tested as it sounded nothing like TBS at all. Thankfully I didn't buy Crash Romeo's new record as that would have resulted in a massive waste of pennies too. The phrase 'run-of-the-mill' really sticks out in my mind while listening to this record.
Crash Romeo remind me a lot of FenixTx. They have that quirky SoCal skater-boy look, they have the catchy, kitsch choruses and a saccharine sweet sound that puts them on the border of pop and punk. And, tell the truth, some of their tracks are perfectly pallatable. The chorus hit the right notes and the band have the ability to make you sing along. But good God is it predictable and generic. Scattered synth sounds are predictably placed over nearly every song, adding very little to the overall quality of the track. There are backing screams - again unnecessary and probably only there because, well it's cool - and even the obligatory ballad to close the album out.
So while all the hooks and melodies are on offer - the staple diet of any pop-punk record - it's done in such a predictable way this record comes off as bland and boring. You can tell, even on first listen, exactly where the backing shouts will come in, or when the chorus will hurtle from the stereo. Pop-punk is supposed to be chipy and chipper and have people bouncing off the walls, but the sad fact is so many bands do this better than Crash Romeo and, as a result, I can't ever see myself listening to this again.
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