To be perfectly honest, I don't have much to say about the four-piece pop-punk band from New Hampshire, Rookie, and their cringe-worthy titled EP On Yourself. There's really nothing noteworthy about them, but I'll try my very best.

Rookie plays pop-punk...generic pop-punk, at that. There's nothing you haven't heard before to be found. But wait! There's also a keyboard! Many would think that, judging from the explosion of the keyboard in the music scene as of late, keys would improve the band's sound, making it that much catchier. Such is not the case for Rookie. The keyboard is actually annoying as all hell. It baffles me how anyone, especially those in the band, could think it sounds good. Aside from the atrocious inclusion of the keyboard, we've got some rehashed pop-punk riffs, awful lyrics, and, at the end of the day, nothing is memorable. I swear, I had to listen to this thing maybe five times to formulate a decent opinion on it, because it just bored me to death.

To give the band some credit, the lead vocals are fairly decent, and the first "song" (it's actually just an introduction of sorts), "I'm Sorry For Everything," sounds rather nice as well, with some cool effects and harmonization. It could actually make for a pretty good song if they built upon it and turned it into something complete, as opposed to just an intro. The production is well done, too; it makes bad songs sound somewhat alright, but not by much.

This was one of the hardest reviews I've had to write, simply because there's absolutely nothing to write about this band. They're generic and rather boring, and the blatant attempt at being trendy with the use of keyboards and pianos really lowers my already poor opinion of this band. I would suggest that the lead vocalist leave the band and take his talents elsewhere; they would be put to use much more effectively in a band that was actually good. I really don't know where you would run into this band or their music, because to my knowledge they're not too well known, but if you do, avoid at all costs.

Standout Tracks:
It sucks to say this, but there aren't any.

Listen to "So Quiet" off of EP On Yourself