Rocket Ship Resort – Megaheart EP

How can I say this in the kindest way possible?  Rocket Ship Resort is about ten years late to a party that most of us regret ever having been a part of.  The sugary, electronic-laced anime-themed pop-punk act brings to mind Hellogoodbye’s shameful early years in the least flattering of ways (think “Shimmy Shimmy Quarter Turn”).  All of those autotuned, cyborg-esque vocals and jumpity synthesizer squeals make their latest EP, Megaheart, every bit as nauseating as you’d imagine.  It’s like all the least appealing aspects of Breathe Carolina bound together in tight little rainbow fueled astral objects.  This is not a compliment.  

Yet, so many listeners will fall instant victim to the deceptively happy, jubilant hooks and frivolous choruses.  Those listeners will mistake a cheerful verse for something worth tuning in to, inevitably allowing five of the most hollow and soulless tracks out there to forge a pathway in listeners neural passageways.  But even a hint of more critical thought should get listeners questioning if they should be smiling in the first place.  

Opener “Pirate” throws just about every soundboard chirp and blip into a swirling mass of superficial melody.  It’s like the soundtrack to any number of aurally stimulating, neon flashing internet memes.  In fact, tracks like “Moans On Loan” and “Mistress Magic” could very well stand in as the repetitious backing track of that flying rainbow poptart feline, Nyan Cat.  Even the slower, increasingly vocal-led “Stars That Look Like You” does little more than grate the nerves as sole Rocket Ship Resort member Skye Meredith’s nasally whine drags the track thoughtlessly along (none of the lyrics are worth commenting on).  If you thought Tom Delonge could get carried away with spaceship sound effects in Angels And Airwaves, you haven’t heard anything yet.

At its core, Megaheart is targeted at clueless tweens with short attention spans.  Even if you’re someone who enjoys anime themed J-pop, you should approach Rocket Ship Resort with caution.  Rather than strive to create something lasting and meaningful, Rocket Ship Report turns out artificial, poppy hooks that dissipate upon their conclusion.  Megaheart is a highly ornamental mess that relies on shock and awe to achieve little more than superficial level pop-punk.  Even Fearless Records wouldn’t sign this.