Not By Choice – Secondhand Opinions

Not By Choice broke onto the scene in 2002 with their Linus Entertainment release, Maybe One Day; and with singles like Standing All Alone and Now That You Are Leaving tearing up the airwaves, Not By Choice soon became a regular name in the Canadian music industry. Now they are back with the release of Secondhand Opinions, their second album and Maple Music Recordings debut, but the question is: will they be able to keep the momentum going? If these twelve are any indication, the answer is yes.

Although Secondhand Opinions doesn’t hold any standout hit like Standing All Alone from Maybe One Day, it is full of of great, catchy pop-punk tunes. From the first single Days Go By to the slow Echoes to the energetic Wake Up, each song has a unique vibe to it while still keeping the distinctive Not By Choice sound. Catchy pop-punk that gets stuck in your head and your toe-tapping. Mike Bilcox’s vocals are strong and slightly poppy, but not to the point where they are super boyish and whiney. His lyrics are direct and catchy; you will soon be singing the choruses along with him after only a few listens. Lyrically, they don’t jump past many borders, but they don’t fill it up with all girl songs either.

Fans of Maybe One Day will definitely like the band’s follow-up; and if you’re a pop-punk fan who doesn’t know who Not By Choice are, then it’s highly recommended that you find out. You can hear a maturation, a growth, from the band’s debut to this, showing that not all band’s bomb on their sophomore album.

In reality, Secondhand Opinions isn’t anything you haven’t heard before; due to the fact that there’s not much more you can do to the pop-punk sound. But it is still a good album with catchy pop-punk songs which could easily help propel the Ajax quartet up the charts to sit with the other pop-punk bands like New Found Glory and Simple Plan. It will make any pop-punk fan’s day and definitely shows that Not By Choice aren’t suffering from any sophomore jinx.