Lab, 2010

The New Yorkers throw a curve ball with the first track proper on Phoenix, with a grittier southern drive alongside the slick harmonic choruses. The rest of the album however is wholly in the domain of youthful pop-punkcore: multi-vocalled, emo-flavoured, and containing more sugar than a fat kid on Halloween. (A special prize to the listener that manages to digest the 5000+ ‘crazy’s of the song, err, “Crazy” without an especially messy overdose.)

No Sleep, 2010

Balance & Composure somewhat inconsiderately steal the show on this eight track split; the quintet have hiked up the intensity of their driving, emo-touched rock some considerable notches, and it’s an impressive thing to behold. Fellow Pennsylvanians Tigers Jaw’s four contributions are a more modest affair – in a bare-boned indie-punk way – but are very solid in their own right, if not quite living up to their stellar predecessors.

ES Music, 2010

Breathing Blue’s upbeat, driving pop-rock sounds a bit ordinary on first listen, but a closer examination suggests there’s something more clever lurking beneath the surface, especially in the frequent nifty guitar lines and the adventurous vocals. The New Jersey quintet don’t pull it together yet, but you get the feeling they might well on their next release.

LAB, 2010

Catchy and bright female-fronted pop-rock in the spirit of Paramore. It’s good at what it does – vocalist Jorja has a decent voice, and you can instantly sing along to the choruses – but the Brighton quartet will have to do a lot more to separate themselves from the thronging pop pack.

Square Up, 2010

I tend to shy away from pop punk, but these guys do it right – a whole bunch of punk influence, with just enough pop to make you want to cue up the record again as soon as it’s over. Great vocals that sound a bit like the guy from Juno (the band, not the movie) are backed by a pounding rhythm section with lots of low-end, aided by occasional melodic guitar parts to bring it all home. I was really blown away by this release, I can’t recommend it highly enough.

Either/Or / Animal Style, 2010

Heartfelt pop-punk with a hardcore tinge – think early Movielife, or even early Midtown. At ten minutes length, the Bay State quintet’s EP flies by with its youthful spirit, machine-gun drumming, gang shouts, and catchy harmonising vocals. Either/Or Records will release this on CD, whilst Animal Style handle the 7” vinyl.

Tiny Engines, 2010

Philadelphia-based band with math-indie-rock sound, with catchy, energetic songs. There’s a real punk sound to this album, but with twiddly guitar parts every now and again. High energy tracks throughout, big guitar chords and riffs soaked in fuzz and distortion are backed by solid, imaginative drumming as the vocals float on top.

Self-released, 2010

Fall Out Boy-inspired pop-rock from the Midlands, UK quartet. Handmade & Handgrown is earnest enough, and it’s clear what they’re aiming for – but they don’t have the catchiness or songwriting to pull it off yet.

Self-released, 2010

Like a bastard son of Protest The Hero, Dillinger Escape Plan, and something decidedly pop (yes, hypothetical musical bastards can have three progenitors), the six tracks on here boast plenty in the way of erratic technicality and histrionic vocals. The unpredictable genre-flitting causes some inconsistency as well as enjoyment though, making it an EP of brilliant moments rather than a brilliant EP.

Big Scary Monsters, 2010

Chicago’s Grown Ups expand upon 2009’s 4-track EP Songs with… More Songs the band’s debut full-length for Big Scary Monsters; a touch jangly Kinsella-inspired emo, a touch scraggly punk-rock. With re-recorded versions of tracks from Songs present throughout, my only complaint is that there isn’t more new material to go around.

Self-released, 2010

Part messy and jangly indie-emo (indiemo?), part sunny math-pop. The Californians’ debut sacrifices some listenability for the raw approach, and the vocals can be a touch unvarying, but this also makes the clean melodies all the brighter when they appear. Friggin’ awesome artwork, too.

Boat Dreams From The Hill, 2010

Animal Names are a Canadian indie/power pop band with a punky twist. This is an album packed with high energy, and has a few catchy numbers, but for me it all starts to sound quite similar.