A band that has both substance and fun and pays homage to its influences while developing a sound completely of their own is hard to come by. Enter the Fad, a band that is as influenced by Gorilla Biscuits as they are Descendents and the Specials. On their latest release they have managed to do all this, and thus not only release an overall strong record, but one of the best to hit this year.

The album starts with a somewhat slow ska song with a catchy hardcore chorus. It's one of a few songs that features horns and it's hard to not want to dance to it while singing along to the chorus. We then move right in to "Vinyl Paradise" that shows the Fad at one of their strongest points. The title song, "Kill Punk Rock Stars" is one of my favorites and is a strict hardcore punk song while the next, "Leaving Cleaveland," might be the best song to be released this year. It shows the Fad crafting a song that perfectly blends pop-punk, ska and hardcore and has possibly one of my favorite choruses ever written.

Each song is really distinct while still staying true to their sound, from the awesome ska-punk of "Ska-Boom" to the hardcore sing-along anthem of "Beer 2 Minors," to the dancey "Remote Control." Each song is very memorable. The vocals and strong lyrics help a lot, too. Oh also, everyone in the band has some serious chops and the music is awesome.

Seriously, if you like punk, hardcore, ska or whatever there is definitely something on this album for you. It's one of the best releases this year. Definitely a worthy album to have in anyones collection.