I support the high-five. Where as a thumbs up is creepy, and a pound doesn't properly convey the desired excitement, the high-five is a great way to say "hey man, nice goal," or "wow, I didn't think anyone could push one little kid so far down a flight of stairs."

I wish I could say that the Hi-Fivin' White Guys' Ate Songs instilled in me the same sense of excitement as either of those actions, but the sad fact of the matter is that the White Guys brand of fast punk rock comes across as a boring substitute for what could have been. The songs rage with no true sense of direction, and a lot of what they try and accomplish comes out muddled and drastically different than I'm sure they were intending.

That may come across a little harsher than it was meant, as the three members of this band are competent musicians with a healthy amount of enthusiasm, but it's all lost in translation. Even though the songs are all of reasonable length, I find my attention span fading by the second as nothing new or exciting is offered, or even hinted at as the record progresses. The vocals are raw and the riffs are just what you'd expect to hear from an unseasoned punk rock band, but where they fail is the lack of ability to turn those two aspects into something that actually makes you want to listen. They come the closest with "Empty Bottles," the harshest song of the eight, but the youthful exuberance can only carry a trio so far.

I feel like the band have some truly honest intentions and aspirations, but just become a bit lost in their songwriting along the way. There's some terrific riffs and vocal patterns on the album, but strewn too few and far between the album's playing time to tie together what's needed.