FROZEN TEENS SONG OF THE WEEK!

Sometimes I think that pop-punk has run it’s course on me and I’m through with it. No reworking of three or four chords could budge my grown up and sturdy soul. Then a record like this Frozen Teens LP comes along and sparks my step again with straight ahead songs and reckless melody. I can’t deny it. I give way and want to sing along. This is my favorite pop-punk release in awhile. It may be because Frozen Teens do the right thing by bringing something unique to the often limited genre. There are elements of classic power-pop and even moments of 60’s garage pop that make it a candidate for consecutive plays. The songs move quickly from catchy to catchier leaving your head buzzing. Two singers trade lead and back ups without disrupting continuity.  I love The Ramones but I don’t want a rehashing of them. It’s tired. It’s pointless. There’s only one. I want a sound that understands their brilliance but still knows how to take it another direction. This is it. Does enduring a Minneapolis winter have something to do with great bands coming from there? Seems possible.

I had to pick the song She’s Cute for song of the week. It’s obvious. Perfect tempo. Pulled back a bit but still pulsing. Nothing flashy. All pop with a sneer and fuzzy guitar. This song captures that moment of making mutual eyes at a stranger you find attractive. They’re looking at me? Yes?! You want to say, Oh Yeah. Anything is possible or maybe nothing at all. It’s just about that look of lions and tigers. There is a 15 second key change near the end of the song that somehow pulls off early Beatles bliss, ripe with tension waiting to be resolved with a return to the first verse, chorus and end. It makes this a hit. I’ll take it. You should too.