If you’re familair with Berkeley, California label Pure Noise Records, then you’ll know over the past 18 months it has released some of the best up and coming Pop Punk from the States. From the outstanding full-length from The Story So Far to acclaimed releases from the likes of Handguns, The American Scene and I Call Fives, Pure Noise has become a proven ground for brilliant pop punk. And now you can add Twentynine Palms’s Forever Came Calling to that list as ‘Contender’ is a blistering, solid record that hits all the right marks in a mere 23 minutes.

From the start ‘Contender’ has all the necessary requirements of any typical pop punk record as it ‘For The Wolves’ and ‘Harbours’ jump straight into it with large hooks, catchy vocals with gang back vocals to match.

However it’s on ‘The Office’ where the quartet hit their stride, with confident vocals from Joe Candelaria who boldy declares in the chorus “I’ll kill myself to shock my friends.” Whilst ‘Ides’ carries the bands momentum brilliantly with a welcomed edgy approach but ‘If Bukowski Could See Me Now’ is the one of the stand highlights on here. Carried by its blistering energy and driving instrumentation, it has all you ever want from a superb pop punk song.

Why by no means do Forever Came Calling re-invent the pop punk formula, later tracks ‘Front Porch Sunrise’ and ‘Contender’ backup this statement but nevertheless they’ve provided a solid full-length that should be embraced by the pop punk community and although they don’t attempt much variation; ‘I’ll Be Better I Promise’ hints a slightly calmer FFC, you get what you get with them and I can’t see many people complaining.

4.5/5

‘Contender’ by Forever Came Calling is available now on Pure Noise Records.

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Words by Sean Reid