Midtown

Save the World, Lose the Girl (Drive-Thru)
by Scott Hefflon

The guitarists like metal/hard rock (but play punkpop), the singer loves pop melodies (but sings punkpop), and the drummer likes to hit things a lot. And the bassist… I dunno, who knows? Oh, and everyone has a thing for chiming in for the choruses. Save the World, Lose the Girl (good title) is predominantly punkpop (can I use that word any more?), but there are short blasts (the 44-second “Another Boy”), a lo-fi snoozer (“No Place Feels Like Home”), and a borderline power ballad (“Come On,” and actually “No Place…” hinted at such guilty pleasures as well) that sneaks in enough melodic punk to save getting covered with White Lion stickers (a humiliation similar to being tarred and feathered, I believe). So seeing as this is the New Jerseyites’ debut full-length, let’s gather around Midtown and give them a big group hug of support (and whisper to drop the Bon Jovi influence… or else).
(www.drivethrurecords.com)