Punchline – 37 Everywhere

To be honest with you, I went into this album not expecting much. I remembered enjoying their Rewind EP and playing it a few times, but their Action full length let me down on all fronts and I never listen to it. But Punchline seems to have picked it up with 37 Everywhere, because I am completely hooked on this CD.

It takes a few listens to really get into it, but once you do you’re hooked. Well, you’re hooked if you have a soft spot for well executed new school pop-punk songs, because that is exactly what 37 Everywhereis full of. Bouncy, fun, rather simplistic but catchy pop-punk songs. Lead singer Steve Soboslai has a strong voice, which does become slightly annoying at times, but can nevertheless be endured for an entire album. He could be compared to the likes of Jordan Pudnik (New Found Glory) or more accurately Ryan Key (Yellowcard) and you wouldn’t be too far off, hell, if you’re not careful Soboslai would easily become a common name in the pop-punk vocalist comparison category.

Really, there’s not a whole lot to say about 37 Everywhere not most people don’t already know when they imagine any pop-punk band. They aren’t innovative or breaking the boundaries in anyway, but they are ahead in the stream of genericness when compared to many other bands. Because unlike most pop-punk bands, Punchline are able to differentiate themselves from the crowd, and have a unique feel to themselves. Be it the simple guitar-vocal harmony on The Getaway, the spoken vocals in Exactly or the slight distortion in Flashlight, almost each and every song has a little something which is solely that song’s signature, and it’s because of that that 37 Everywhere is an album instead of a compilation of singles.

pop-punk fans around the world will fall in love with this CD, because it breaks away from the genericness of most underground pop-punk bands while still keeping it somewhat similar to the pop-punk formula. Add the perfectly smooth production qualities, and you have an album to play anytime you want. Its by far the band’s best output to date.