Crucial Dudes – 61 Penn

New Jersey pop-punk five-piece Crucial Dudes sound like they’re just out for a good time.  Nothing more, nothing less.  You won’t find anything terribly fancy on their debut full length, 61 Penn, but it doesn’t take long into opener “Boom, Roasted” before it’s easy to see that the boys wouldn’t have it any other way.  Early likenesses to The Wonder Years on the title track make for an incredibly light hearted and honest approach filled with down to earth intent aimed at pop punk enthusiasts.

The musical premise exists around your classic New Found Glory and Yellowcard formula, but adding short bursts of steady speed reserved for each band’s early careers.  Songs like “Doubt” and “Boom, Roasted” barrel forward with drummer Eric McConathey sounding as if having been pulled from an early Lagwgon track, scaling back to their chief influences during the choruses.  For better or worse Jason Bittner’s vocals never cease between musical styles, always edging onwards, never shy to unload his full lung capacity.  His shrill pitch may turn some off, but that’s simply a matter of taste harkening back to the age old Green Day versus Taking Back Sunday debate.  He’s not as strong as, say, Dan “Soupy” Campbell, but he’s more than manageable when coupled with honest content.

Speaking of which, 61 Penn is refreshingly personal, filled with emotional cynicism, and a healthy appreciation for surviving life’s ups and downs with smile and a shrug.  “When I’m staring at the sky, I’m really just thinking about the future and how there’s much I don’t know” belts Bittner on the opening line of “On Leaving” before engaging in the past realization about his hometown and how he “will always be moved by this place that’s become so second nature to me, this is where my home will always be.”  While not every stab at retrospective achieves the same connection – for instance, “61 Penn” could use some more specifics to get listeners on side sooner – the intent doesn’t go unrecognized.

In the end, Crucial Dudes can be taken for they are: a simple pop punk band willing to share their experiences with those who will listen.  They’re not quite as striking as many of the band’s I’ve mentioned (The Wonder Years in particular), but Penn 61 certainly makes an argument for keeping an eye on future output.  An honest starting point from a group with their feet planted firmly on solid ground.