The Primetime Heroes

(Noisome)
by Scott Hefflon

Young and fast, Kansas boys The Primetime Heroes wear their worship of Goldfinger, New Found Glory, Green Day, and Less Than Jake on their sleeves. This self-titled release being their debut, it’s forgivable that it sounds thin (especially in the drumming; the snare sounds like Tupperware filled with metal beads), and the lyrics are as trite as, well, Saves The Day and all the other kiddiepunk bands who simply don’t have the experience to write heartfelt lyrics like Lagwagon, Descendents, or any other “forefather” poppunk bands that can write about what it’s like to be young without sounding like idiots (duh, why do you think young bands aspire to be them? They’re good at it).

The Primetime Heroes are smart in that they fly through their songs so quickly that it’s rare for it to really sink in how lame their lyrics are, how fake the punk accent is (Kansas trying to sound SoCal trying to sound British), how thin the production is, and how typical the actual chord structures are. As I said, luckily, the pace is so damn fast, you’re nodding along, going with the vibe, which is a lot of fun. It’s those damn specifics – like hitting all the right notes and writing melodies we haven’t heard similarly watered down by other young bands trying to find their own style – that’ll get in the way if they ever slow down. Here’s to hoping they work on their accuracy and songwriting identity before their next CD so we can all look back on this self-titled CD as a cute start.
(www.noisome.com)