I Call Fives – First Thing First

This record takes me back to when I first got into the whole pop-punk thing. It was 2002/2003, and pop-punk was all the trend. Drive-Thru Records was the label to watch (now, sadly, they’re the label to stay away from). They were my gateway drug into a world of music unknown to me and to this day, bands from that label still remain important to me. Most notably is, of course, New Found Glory – a band that helped define the pop-punk sound of the turn of the century and a band that should have a great comeback CD this year. But I digress, I’m here to talk about I Call Fives and that is what I’ll do.

When I listen to I Call Fives‘ new EP, First Things First, I’m transported back to that time when I was young and excited to hear a new style. Now it’s seven years later and I Call Fives is hardly new for me, but I can’t help but have a slight smile on my face as I hear it. With each passing song, I’m reminded of another band from that era that I loved oh so much. Sometimes it’s New Found Glory, sometimes it’s The Starting Line and sometimes it’s Allister. It’s funny how familiar it is and yet it’s still distinctly a record from this era, and exactly what that means is hard to explain.

The music is straight DTR pop-punk, it’s catchy, upbeat and fun. But unlike a lot of the new wave of pop-pop-“punk” around today, there is actually a back bone to the songs. The drumming, in a way, sounds of place as its much faster and harder but it works wit the music in the same way that Cyrus Bolooki’s drum style works with New Found Glory. They also throw in some gang vocals in the background like some later NFG material.

But what pulls me away from I Call Fives is the vocals and it is the vocals that remind me that this record is distinctly a 2008 release. At times there are moments where you hear a New Found Glorysemblance (My Last Mistake and Overtime are the most notable ones with that similarly) whereas other times you hear a slight Kenny Vasoli (The Starting Line) tinge in the vocal delivery. However, for the most part, the vocals sound more like the pop-punk of today – and I think of bands like Four Years Strong or The Wonder Years. Still, there’s enough of that classic pop-punk in there to save me from shoving it off completely.

Suffice to say, I rather enjoy this little EP as it reminds me a lot of *gasp* New Found Glory; which is something I wasn’t expecting all that much. It’s a simple pop-punk record that doesn’t fall victim to the over polished, over slow and over boring pitfalls of today’s pop-punk/pop-emo/pop-pop crap that seems to be spat out at an all too frequent speed. However, for me, this record has come five years too late to really like and play it over and over again. There are moments that shine through but others that feel too polished or smooth. Maybe their next record will be able to fully capture my attention but as it is, First Things First will remain just a footnote in my music collection.