Houston Calls – The End of an Error

It’s been three long years since Houston Calls released their debut album, A Collection of Short Stories, on the failed Rushmore Records label. In that time I pulled out the pop-punk record a few times, never to play it completely but Bob and Bonnie did received numerous plays on my iPod. Despite my lackluster reaction to their debut after the initial offering, the prospect of a new album incited some slight hope within me. Oddly enough The End of an Error is neither disappointing or surprising. Instead, the record is exactly what I had expected which isn’t really good or bad, just alright.

A quick summary of the record could be done by calling it a forgettable and predictable pop-punk album with an emphasis on the pop. It wouldn’t be a far off description because at it’s core, that what’sHouston Calls have given us. It’s a very polished pop-punk record that hits all the right trends of the current teenage fanfare. There’s silky smooth vocals, keyboards, polished riffs and a very slick sensation. Think of a mixture of All Time Low with Day At The Fair and Dave Melillo; something that falls between the new school Hopeless Records outcrop and new school Drive-Thru Records crop.

That is Houston Calls; yet there is something a bit more to them. It’s a very minimal element, but it’s an element that makes The End of an Error much more bearable to listen to than anything that Fearless orHopeless has recently put out. Hell, its even one of the stronger Drive-Thru releases in some time.

You see, Houston Calls actually knows how to write a good, solid hook. The vocals are not grating, the drumming is distinct enough to make you tap your feet and the keyboard is rarely overbearing. This makes the songs catchy enough to listen to all the while through and strong enough to not make you want to skip it. There’s the gang vocals in Abandone that are layered nicely in the background that grab your attention while tracks like I Fancy Abroad and You Can’t Simi remind you of the classic Drive-Thu days. The Oaks on Price St. sounds like The Starting Line and the vocal harmonies on A Shot In The Dark and Things are Happening shine through on those track even though the songs are drastically different from one another.

All of these little elements make The End of an Error easy and pleasant to listen. You’re not reaching for the stop button like you normally do with so many of these super polished, pop/pop-punk records albums; and for that they deserve some accolades. Still, it’s not all that memorable and while I may pull out Bob and Bonnie every once in a while, I doubt I’ll be dusting of The End of An Error anytime soon.