I have a major passion for ultra-melodic pop-punk, especially in the summer. It’s my vice. I openly admit it. For me, there’s little better than being able to be outside with a deep blue sky, the sun beating down and some amazing melodic goodness on the stereo. Bands like Fallout Boy and New Found Glory are perfect at 6.30am when I’m driving to work and the sun is beginning to peep over the horizon. It gets me going and puts me in a great mood. Sure, I expect the flack to rain down, but if I can sing along and be instanly put in a better mood, surely it’s job done? In the days of yore, Drive Thru were the perfect label for a quick melodic pick me up. Somewhere along the line they spread their wings as a label and signed a bunch of very different bands. For me, Houston Calls are the best DTR/Rushmore have signed in a long, long while.
It’s not that ‘A Collection of Short Stories’ breaks new ground or makes some kind of statement – the 11 songs here are just instant singalong feelgood anthems. The opening salvo of ‘Sunrise Goodbyes’, ‘Exit Emergency’ and ‘Bob and Bonnie’ are tracks with oil-slick production and more harmonies and melodies than Britney + Christina x Beyonce. To be honest, this is indicative of what many people had begun to put an unfair slur upn DTR’s name – imagine The Starting Line with a little Hellogoodbye thrown in for good measure and you’re about there.
And yeah, ‘Amtrak Is For Lovers’ is a it poncey, but things are picked up with the swirling keyboards and kick in the drums of ‘High Rise’, while ‘One More Won’t Hurt’ and ‘A Pen and A Piece Of Mind’ are pop-punk gems. Houston Calls will not change the world, but they will put a smile on your face. After a flurry of ‘average’ DTR and Rushmore releases, HC really hit the spot. They’re a band I could really get into. Yes it’s disposable, but it’s catchy, unadulterated fun and I for one am going to enjoy this record during the remaining summer months.
www.purevolume.com/houstoncalls
Rushmore Records
Paul