Without warning, the underground Ramonescore scene was introduced to a new band from New York called Pep Talk. This band is compromised of scene veterans from bands such as the Young Rochelles, Sketchy, Weird Skin and the Steinways. This release is a three song sampler of what is to come from this new outfit. What we have here is true Ramones influenced punk rock. 

The title track "Next To Me" tells the tale of meeting the love of your life. This cleverly crafted power pop gem opens with the type of loose guitar lead you would hear on 90s alt-rock radio. This leads into a catchy palm muted verse which helps to accentuate Rocky Rochelle's vocals. The pre-chorus of the track boasts dual vocals leading into the chorus. The opening guitar lead returns to accompany the simple and straight forward chorus. "Next To Me" could easily become your song of the summer. Pep Talk toughen up a bit on "Trespass" which follows. This track reminds me of later era Ramones. "Trespass" opens with a catchy guitar lead that goes straight into quick power chords in the verse. The vocal line of "Trespass, you got no right to be here" will be stuck in your head for days. Former Ramones bassist CJ Ramone lends his vocals to the outro of this track as an added bonus. The EP concludes with a medley of tracks from the Ramones album "Road to Ruin." These tracks are exclusive to this EP. Pep Talk take on snippets of "I Want Everything," "I'm Against It," and "Bad Brain." These solid renditions don't differ too much from the originals. I appreciate that the band has chosen to represent lesser known tracks from the Ramones.

This EP is a solid representation of what is to come from Pep Talk. A full length entitled "Live, Laugh, Labotomy" is due out later this year on Hey Pizza records. Releasing this EP in advance of the album is a smart move as this will catch attention of the pop punk community. I eagerly await the album and future output of this band,