Suburban Resistance Time Flies: The Best of Suburban Resistance Vol. 1 LP
Self-proclaimed “melodic punk rock”—this must be what we’re calling pop punk these days? Reminds me of George Carlin’s bit about using different, gentler words to describe situations that make us uncomfortable. Anyways, the first half of this slab is the aforementioned straight-up pop punk akin to bands like BOWLING FOR SOUP and GOB. The second half has this derivative MISFITS/AFI quality. It does a great disservice pairing these tracks with the bubblegum punk from the earlier history of the band, because the sudden jump in subject matter and tone comes off as a tad hokey. I will give the singer their due, though. Assuming this album is in chronological order, you can hear their progression and growth as a vocalist. They’re really killing it on the last couple of tracks.