With US pop-punk being hugely popular right now, the “scene” is more than likely to become filled with bands who struggle to find their identity. Thankfully for San Jose’s Stickup Kid this isn’t an issue as their new EP ‘Nothing About Me’ is a pulsating collection of hardcore-influenced pop-punk that is thorough.
The band kicks things off as they mean to go on with ‘Breathing,’ a thrashing, harmonious number that is straight-to-the-point with confidant vocal work from Tony Geravesh. Whilst ‘Lighthouse’ is relentlessness in its tempo with pounding drums leading to a calm guitar part before “woah” gang vocals bring the track home.
Admittedly Stickup Kid don’t reinvent the pop-punk wheel but its clear on tracks like ‘Dreaming Of Kenny Rogers’ and ‘You Are Captain Hook’ that the band have the capability to keep your attention and leave a strong impression on each track. And whilst the lyrical subject matter of ex-girlfriends and friends is slightly sterotypical within the genre, the bands writing is focused and gives them that needed edge to standout from the growing crowd.
It’s no doubt fans of the genre will eat this up and rightly so they should. Edgy guitars, pounding drums and catchy hooks is more or less always a winning combination, and with Stickup Kid’s consistent thriving energy ‘Nothing About Me’ should open doors for the quintet in the coming months and make them stand out from the ever-growing crowd.
4/5
‘Nothing About Me’ by Stickup Kid is released on June 5th through Disconnect Disconnect (UK)/Adeline Records (US).
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