The Fake Boys' third EP (as far as I can tell) is a strong continuation of their straightforward but well-played pop-punk sound.

While I can only say I think these eight songs are "pretty decent," credit's due where it's due: For playing such a three-chord-based, tried-and-true style, I still can't really come up with a direct comparison. Yeah, the band frequently cite Jawbreaker, Buzzcocks and others as influences, and there are hints of Descendents and the Lemonheads here (also cited as inspiration), but there's something much cleaner and restrained about them than those name-drops would lead you to believe. Sort of like the Methadones. Yeah, maybe that's it...but probably not.

The material on Pop Punk Is Dead is a little more "mature-sounding" than what I last heard from them -- their split with Frogball. It's just got a groove about it and they tend to delve somewhere between medium and fast paces instead of the Frogball split's speedier, occasionally rushed delivery. Watch the band hit me up after this review is posted to let me know all the songs were recorded in the same session or something.

Most memorable? "Bugs," quite easily. If every song on the EP was as catchy as this one we might be talking 'best-of's here. Granted, the unwinding feel of closer "Dirge" is pretty cool.

Complemented by Jay Maas' pitch-perfect production, the music on Pop Punk Is Dead tends to beg for a retraction to its foreboding title.

STREAM
Suckfest
Pop Punk Is Dead
Eat Leaves
Bugs