This is the third release for Man Overboard and it very well might be their best release so far. Man Overboard has coined the term “Defend Pop Punk”. It is everywhere I look. This writer even has a “Defend Pop Punk” hoodie that I wear proudly. The thing however is this, what is pop punk these days?  It is so different from what it was ten years ago.  All of the best bands in this genre play a different kind of pop punk. On this album Man Overboard is the latest to put their stamp on this genre. They have done a great job of staying true to their roots but also adding a few things to their repertoire.

The first noticeable difference about this album is these guys have grown in their instruments. The guitar playing is more smooth and crisp. This is evident throughout the album. However it is best heard on the track “Hoodie Song”. This song is by far the most aggressive we have heard this band be.  I can’t wait to hear it live. Another track that showcases their growth is “Open Season”. This track is the opposite of “Hoodie Song” it is chiller, more laid back. It has more of an alt-rock feel to it. This is the track I was really looking forward to hearing. It has a cameo by the great Geoff Rickly of Thursday. He adds a different element to the track and it works beautifully. The thing about this band is they are just going to get better. This is just the start for them.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1Dfw_puM8A&h=297&w=450]

Before you start thinking they have changed their sound completely, they haven’t. They are still the band we know and love. The aspects that have been present on the releases before this one are still present.  Man Overboard I feel will always sing about boy/girl dynamics. It is what they know. On the song Damage Control there is a line that goes, “if you choose the right words then the girl, she stays.” That is classic Man Overboard. Only they can write that line and you feel what they were feeling when they wrote it. That line could have easily could have been a part of “dead end dreams” from their last album.

“You didn’t kiss me and I felt rejected” from the song “Boy Without Batteries” is another example of that wonderful boy/girl dynamic we hear in their songs.  How many boys can say that they felt that way? The other element that is still present on this album is the dual vocals. There isn’t a pop punk band that does it better than them right now. Its shades of the band that they took their name from, Blink-182. And they are following in their footsteps and becoming more mature with each release. The future is bright for these guys from Jersey.

Score: 4.5/5

Man Overboard: Official | iTunes