Rust Belt Lights – These Are The Good Old Days

The term pop-punk can be applied to many different bands making it so that to simply describe a band as “pop-punk” has become somewhat useless. There are so many versions of it; you have to be more specific. Despite that, I’m still generally excited for anything described as “pop-punk.” The style hits the sweet tooth like no other no matter what incarnation it is in; and lucky for me: Rust Belt Lights are a pop-punk band.

I know, I know, that doesn’t mean much so I’ll explain.

Rust Belt Lights play the style of pop-punk that merges hardcore elements into the melodic structure. It’s like Daggermouth, Set Your Goals, Four Year Strong, The Wonder Years, Fireworks and all those bands; and on These Are The Good Old Days, Rust Belt Lights do the genre justice.

The vocals are catchy and melodic, poppy without being nauseatingly so. Back-up vocals – ala New Found Glory – litter the album, creating call and repeat verses that beg to be sung along to. It’s energetic and pretty fun to bounce your head along to. Lyrics are upbeat and positive (like so many who play this particular style of pop-punk).  They focus on the good old days, having fun with friends, living for the moment, and enjoying the little things like aimless car rides. Yet, they remain adamant that the good days aren’t all in the past, they’re happening now and will never stop unless you want them to. It’s the type of stuff that brings a smile to your face and would be perfect to sing along to in a small, cramped room full of friends.

This is a solid record without any glaring hiccups or missteps.  Far from groundbreaking, it remains damn enjoyable. The problem These Are The Good Old Days faces is that nothing truly sticks out. Oh yes, the breakdowns and the bridges in nearly every song jump out at the speakers (Home Sweet Home and Forty Five being the prime examples) but rarely are any of them actually memorable. You hear them, enjoy them, and then forget them.  There’s no staying power or urge to replay the album again and again. You won’t tire of it – it’s too damn fun to tire of it – but you won’t really remember it either.

As it is, Rust Belt Lights have delivered the perfect iPod album. Throw it on your ipod and let it sit. Then, on that one magical day, you’ll have it on shuffle songs and it’ll land on Rust Belt Lights and you’ll sing, and you’ll smile and you may even pump your first in the air. You’ll enjoy it and have fun for the two to three minutes it’s on and then it’ll end and you’ll move on to the next song forgetting all about it again; and maybe, just maybe, that’s enough of a reason to check out the album.