Hi-Standard

Growing Up (Fat)
by Scott Hefflon

It took a Japanese punk/pop band that does covers of the Bay City Rollers’ “Saturday Night” and Rainbow’s “Since You’ve Been Gone,” and sounds almost identical to Down By Law, to re-instill my waning love of dippy punk. Yeah, what of it? The word “infectious” has been so overused by now that it calls to mind the negative connotations of its other meaning. Hi-Standard writes such nostalgically dumb lyrics to such catchy (yet another disease of a word) tunes, it’s hard not to sway and bounce with them. The crystal clear production and mere pace seem a direct contrast to the fact that they can throw in surf stylings, ’70s punk, and the occasional classic rock riff. They tie it all together into a style that, while reminescent of Down By Law/Bracket/NOFX(well kinda), is somehow all their own. Short, happy songs, quick tempos, and clever hooks – how can they go wrong?