Honah Lee – 33 on 45

New Jersey pop-punk outfit Honah Lee returns firing on all cylinders for their latest full length, 33 on 45.  The band pulls out all the stops for their record-speed referencing album in a big way; clamouring off oodles of catchy choruses, hook-laden three-chord gems and of course those flashes of exuberant guitar goodness.  Building from their previously defining mission statement in Life Won’t Let Me, it should become abundantly clear that the four-piece didn’t just get lucky the last time around.

Part The Lillingtons guitar spunk, part Riverboat Gamblers vocal flair, 33 on 45 is a jangling jolt of good old all-American pop-punk.  Opener “Time Flies” races out the gate with such vigor that no one should be left guessing as to the origins of its namesake.  With riffs-a-raging Honah Lee rattle on, matching their catchy runaway chorus with the line, “everyone knows, how quick it goes, we try to get through the highs and the lows, we ask ourselves, where the hell does it go.”  Snotty, but not as obnoxious as in the past, Honnah Lee is quick to hook listeners in a big way with plenty of accompanying harmonies, ambitious guitar bridges ripe with fiery, eyebrow singeing solos.  Other likeminded highlights like “Hey Angel” “You Should Stay” and “I Should Go” maintain this surge of adrenaline pumping momentum.

Meanwhile, trackd like “The Accommodator” and “R2DIM2” venture vaguely into noise-punk territory with somewhat fuzzed out vocals.  The style might raise some red flags for those preferring their pop-punk squeaky-clean, but beneath the hazy execution makes for some really catchy melodies.  As for mid-tempo marchers, a handful of tunes rise to the top, including “Sobered, So Bored!” and the hard hitting toe tapper “Party Goggles.”

Honah Lee certainly doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but rolls on confidently as if they had.  Wielding just the right mix of catchy hooks and hard hitting guitar, these snarky Trenton boys prove that they are the real deal.  33 on 45 is a no brainer for pop-punk fans looking to add the next great addition to their library alongside favourites like Houseboat, Dear Landlord and Direct Hit!.