Massachusetts music maestros Maker deal in my kind of pop-punk: Lifetime, the Movielife, the Wonder Years, et al., with a slight dash of early Crime in Stereo. Their new EP, I-91 deals out four fast ‘n' catchy tunes about being young and forming new identities. The sound isn't anything new, but the band's energy sells the songs.

"Anything (Tour Song Part 2)" opens the seven-inch with a psych-out: cut-time drums and a smattering of guitar bleed in for a bit before the band shifts into punk beats and gang vox. True to the title, it's a tour song, and a fun one at that. The rest of the EP skips extended intros. "Calendars" takes maybe two measures to get to the point: missin' somebody terrible. The title track proves that even when the band busts out breakdowns, they still keep things fast, and it even busts out a quick bass solo that would make any band Dr. Dan Yemin has ever been in proud. "Stand by Me" closes the wax out.

At 10 minutes, I-91 is a brief outing from a promising band, but a good listen all the same.

^{The CD version of I-91 was released by Either/Or Records.}