We’re in a weird place right now with seemingly every new band out of the NJ/Philly area playing some form of pop-punk/melodic hardcore. What started off about five years ago as a LIFETIME revival has mutated back into blur of gooier, sappier music from bands that view THE STARTING LINE as icons. I CALL FIVES are definitely on the pop-rock side of the spectrum, but there’s a subtle itch that they could pick up the aggression if they saw an opportunity for it. These guys easily could have found a home on Drive Thru or Hopeless in the early 2000s. Lead off song “Hand Me Down Luck,” and its follow-up, “Elevator Music” have musical footprints in the sound and style of NEW FOUND GLORY’s S/T release. Not a bad thing, mind you, just constant reference point. Jeff Todd’s lead vocals are clean and competent, but they lack a signature element, and I’m not sure there’s enough room for growth in his range to get there (then again, if there was ever an example of vocal growth, Jordan Pundik’s name is connected to it). Bad Advice hits its high mark on the third song “Try Hard To Remember,” which combines searing lead guitars with bursts of speed and Todd elevating the emotion in his voice. The come-down is  on “Easy to Say States Away”, which sounds like the song found a hook first, but the band didn’t really know what to do with it, leaving a dithering amount of bridges, verses, and lack of direction. Power-ballad “Take The Fall” ends the six song EP on a healthy, if not somewhat simple note, and I can already visualize the starry-eyed sing-alongs the tune will generate among the band’s fans. Good, not great… so maybe I’ll just call it acceptable.

No Sleep