The last song of the Oklahoma City groups aptly titled album
could be the first, as theres no letup of enthusiasm, speed or snare drum in their pop-punk debut.
Highlight Talk Me to Sleep features the best lyric (Theyre asking us to die for something / While asking us to live for nothing) and the strongest chorus of the batch. Thats not to say that melodies are in short supply; these tracks are nothing if not catchy. This is the stuff that sweaty, circle-pit sing-a-longs are made of.
Theres nothing here you havent heard a bazillion times before: charging guitars, frantic drumming, throat-shredding shouted vocals, melodic sung choruses and young enthusiasm everywhere you can apply it. Its just that Red City Radio does it better. I remember these songs, where other bands similar tunes would bounce right off.
In addition to being life-affirming and enthusiastic, the lyrics name-check Oklahoma and Oklahoma City often, which is a cool feeling (50th & Western). If youve seen Red City Radio live, you know how much fun they are, and this release is an extension of that. Stephen Carradini