The Stillmen produce bouncy but roughly played pop-punk that gives their style a brash and likable quality on this EP, Nothing Happens.
Opener "Fatherly Advice", however, is wildly out of place. It's pretty straightforward, semi-melodic hardcore that sounds like Sinking Ships aside from the major-key feel that comes up every now and again. But then "Dave's Party Song" follows it; it's much more care-free and upbeat, borrowing the vibe of Everything Sucks-era Descendents, albeit more "yelly."
That comparison becomes increasingly hard to substantiate as the EP goes along, with the Stillmen seeming to find their own style a little bit. "Hurt Again" uses the double-time a little more, while there's a little bit of a Dag Nasty raspiness and pop with "Goatees Go Home" and "I Won't Leave You."
Not a bad little effort, with some definitively solid influences mixing in.
STREAM
Nothing Happens EP