So far it's been a grand year for Drive Thru Records, having a hand in the release of great records by Finch, Something Corporate and New Found Glory. And with the new Starting Line and Allister records set to hit the streets in the next two months, you could be forgiven for letting Home Grown's newie pass you by.
'Kings Of Pop' is the band's attempt at throwing themselves headlong into the A-list of pop-punk bands, but a few golden moments aside, Home Grown are nothing more than your bog-standard pop-punk band. There's nothing original here, nothing that really stands out and certainly nothing that makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end.
Kicking off with 'Tomorrow' possibly uses the band's ace far too early. It is a very poppy tune, mixing a fantastic riff with a great melody. "Maybe I'll wake up tomorrow and figure out where to begin, then maybe I won't feel so hollow, but I'm pretty sure that I'll be sleeping in," they sing but it's hardly Ivor Novello award winning stuff. 'I Love You Not' is young, dumb and instantly disposable. The chorus is catchy enough, but there are far, far better songs around out there than this. And the backing vocals are so out of key it's unbelievable.
'Give It Up' is marginally better, but by now it's easy to predict exactly what to expect next. 'Kiss Me Diss Me' has a fantastic riff and sonically is the best track on the record, but lyrically it's apalling. Home Grown have listened to far too many Blink records, and in 2002 that's not a good thing. 'You're Not Alone' is the token slower song, but again it sticks to a verse/chorus/verse/chorus pattern which is tired and predictable. I love pop-punk as much as anyone, but even I can't defend a record as average as this.
'I'll Never Fall In Love' sounds like an out-take from the 'Take Off Your Pants And Jacket' sessions and 'Second Best' sounds like Antifreeze, except with better production. 'Why Won't You Leave Me?' is a rather apt title, because by track 8 I honestly feel bored. It's not a bad song by any means, but it's no more than background music. Sure, it's catchy enough, but there are so many other bands that have done this and got several t-shirts. 'Cannot Stop The World' is as generic as the previous track and 'My Time Alone' is a rather poor attempt at changing the pace, coming complete with handclaps in the background. But it's just devoid of any appeal and is ultimately nothing more than a filler track on an album littered with filler tracks.
The drum roll intro of 'Waiting On Me' is one of the more interesting parts of the record, but it slowly descends into an extremely bland song. A perfect example that shows amazing production is worthless if you don't have the songs to cash in. Closing track 'Disaster' at least ends things on a half decent note, even if it does sound just like The Starting Line crossed with New Found Glory. Still, it's likeable enough.
So, Home Grown are not 'Kings Of Pop', infact they're not even an ace of spades, simply the joker in the pack. Very disappointing and very, very average stuff, even fans of the Drive Thru label will be putting this in a cupboard with their Student Rick records, never to be seen again...
Paul
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