Cute Is What We Aim For had an interesting 2006. The band, which was relatively unknown prior to the year, absolutely exploded into the scene and became a staple of MySpace pages and iPods everywhere. However, the band that had literally no following and previous work somehow managed to gather some e-zines labeling them as âsell-outs.' With all this talk at hand, I decided to give The Same Old Blood Rush with a New Touch another chance after early listening and quick dismissal.
Just like several other things in life, Cute Is What We Aim For didn't deserve the second chance. In just about every pop-punk album there are several components that build up the albums: catchy guitar hooks, vocal melodies, lyrics about girls and energetically positive songs have become the norm for your textbook pop-punk album. Now you know you have problems when you're a pop-punk band that can't even pull off any of the above. It takes no longer than the first line on "Newport Living" to realize that the vocals won't be the high point, as the nasally singing will have a better chance of making you throw up before making you want to sing along. When it comes to the lyrics being sung, lines like "If you lie, you don't deserve to have friends. If you lie, you don't deserve them" populate the album.
When it comes to the musical aspect, pop-punk bands aren't gonna score points for originality or technicality, but the music should at least be passable and catchy. Even if it's disposable, it should still at least be worth your time before being kicked to the curb, but Cute Is What We Aim For come up short in that department as well. The songs here simply fall flat. They aren't catchy, they aren't original, and they are easily forgettable. Simply put, they aren't worth your time, especially the slower songs which make the album an even more tedious listening experience.
When it comes to every single department of the pop-punk genre, Cute Is What We Aim For receives failing marks. Their forgettable mix of flat songs and appalling lyrics is still sure to appeal to the genre's fan base, but to the rest of us, we're left with one of the year's worst releases, especially unbelievable when you consider the fact that 20 or so bands will release the same album next week.