Originally published in Verbicide issue #4

Virginia’s River City High is a young band bursting onto the scene from relative oblivion to establishing themselves as a premier act within only about a year’s time. They play really poppy emo-punk — think Blink 182-style with a Hot Water Music twist. Or, imagine A New Found Glory with a different singer. It’s not exactly my favorite sound, but to give these guys fair shakes, I have to admit that this album is not without its strong moments. Track six, “Runaround,” is a flat-out great rock ‘n roll tune reminiscent of Hot Rod Circuit, and track three, “Just Wonderin’,” mixes in acoustic guitar and a guest appearance on backing vocals by Boston’s Mary Lou Lord. Track 11, “Hello November A.M.” is only just over a minute long, but is a nice, mellow track with banjo and a great lead guitar riff at the end. This album may fall in line with the excess of other pop-punk bands making it big, but River City High grasps enough originality to at least keep it interesting.

(Doghouse Records, PO Box 8946, Toledo, OH 43623)