For Felix – Everyone Has A Girlfriend

It seems that New Jersey is slowly catching up to California in the punk scene magnitude. Lately, there have been loads of punk bands who have suddenly erected from the basements of New Jersey homes. For Felix is one of those bands, in fact, their debut CD, Everyone Has A Girlfriend was recorded in the basement of guitarist Whit Maull’s house! A catchy pop-punk is what this band plays. Nothing incredibly new or exciting, but still something which catches your attention as it blasts in your CD player.

Commitment is something every band needs to succeed, and if you look at the commitment this band has, you know they will go far. Doing everything themselves and I mean everything! Creating a studio in a basement to record and then produce their songs, booking a national tour and building a steady fan base in New Jersey and across North America. Dan Perea, the bassist and vocalist doesn’t even have a home in New Jersey, and yet, he still stays there to be in the band and to play their music. Now that’s commitment!

They open the 10 song CD with Inside Of Me, it starts off very different from their other tracks. A small little tune before they pick up the pace and go into the song with full power. I wouldn’t say that this is their best song, but it is a good choice to open it with. Giving you a small feel for the band and what to expect for the rest of the album. The next song is much better, Leaning Towards Forever. Right away the vocals come jumping in at you as a catchy guitar melody is played in the background.  The vocals are catchy and get stuck in your head quite quickly. It is probably one of my favorite tracks on the album.

Skipping ahead to track four we come upon Been There Done That, this one starts off slowly with a nice steady beat and vocals which stand above the music. Its a song about breaking up over and over again. A good song, giving us another little side of For Felix which you haven’t heard in the other tracks. Walk Away (track 6) is a song which gets your feet tapping right away as it starts off with a nice hard drum roll and jumpy guitar riffs. The vocals are fast and in perfect timing with the music. A little after the two minute mark, they slow it down a notch with a nice bass melody, a verse is sung before they blast it up once again.

Stolen From The Start, their longest track and probably their most popular comes in the eighth track. Opening with a slow bass riff then they introduce the drums with a soft yell of “Let’s go!”.  The vocals aren’t as powerful as other times, but they instead mix in more with the instruments. It is definitely my second favorite track and would be a perfect choice for a single. Next we get a song which is a completely new side of the band, a much more comical one. Relaxed is my favorite track on the album, the melody is one which I find hard to describe, but one which is perfect and gets you tapping your foot along with it. Its a song about a guy who is telling his girlfriend just to go and relax and be a little sleazy.

Overall, this is a CD which has many strong points, but if you do listen to it over and over and over again it does get a bit repetitive, so try to give it a break between listens.