Second Base deliver one of the better, more impressive melodic punk full-lengths out of Europe in recent memory with Manifesto, an honest and brightly melodic epic mixing a carefully varied pot of punk influences.

The Belgian act start things subtly, though. Opener "It's Been the Worst Months" starts out as a slightly sappy, minimal acoustic folk intro that's more SoKo than SoCal, but soon enough light electronic dalliances segue it into a louder, powerful full-band approach. The power-trio occasionally wield a screamy vocal approach, but it fits well within the context of what they're doing (think Rise Against), which is an angsty, decidedly melodic sound with '90s skate and Chicago punk influences. The latter is spelled out pretty transparently when the band bust out a cover of the Lawrence Arms' "Brick Wall Views" halfway through Manifesto; with cleaner production and a refreshing aggression, the Chris McCaughan-penned chorus still comes across just as heartfelt and anguished in Second Base's grasp, and its noticeable familiarity jumps out pleasingly. Although it's probably the best moment of the whole album, that's just testament to how awesome the Lawrence Arms' back catalog is.

You can hear some lightly progressive shades in what Second Base do with a song like "Alive & Well" and its soft vocal "ohhhh"s and piano that layer its outro. "Anchor"'s bridge is largely a lilting, ominous pause that makes its following build to close that much more dynamic. Modern "post-hardcore" tones give atmosphere to "Talk! Talk! Jump," while the riffing in "Everybody Knows" sounds a ton like older Alkaline Trio. Hell, for "Deathtrap," the band lift audio from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind to add a bit of catharsis to the song. With many of these moments they actually seem to mirror the looser, experimental motives of newer American counterparts like Lipona and Half Hearted Hero, but what they're doing is clearly their own.

Admittedly, the album is a little top-heavy, with the third-quarter being a bit short on hooks and generally just emitting exceptional white noise. It's clear the band don't quite have the chops yet to make a nearly 50-minute album consistently stunning, but it's not without its enjoyability. There's plenty here on Manifesto that proves Second Base to be a fluid and enthusiastic act staking out their own territory from a respectable set of inspirations.

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Alive & Well
Anchor
Talk! Talk! Jump
Brick Wall Views (The Lawrence Arms)
Confused Eyes
Deathtrap
Hang in There