The Hollowpoints – Rocket To Rainier – Review

hollowpoints200The Hollowpoints

Rocket To Rainier (Sailor’s Grave)
By Mike Delano

When I think of this record I think of an “energetic blast of melodic punk.” Reading those words back, the phrase “energetic blast” seems more fitting for a new Mountain Dew flavor than a record, but hey, it really fits here for The Hollowpoints. These Seattle punkers have been at it since 2001, and while their sound doesn’t inspire much flowery prose (no left turns here — it’s pretty meat-and-potatoes stuff), it’s definitely got enough energy to really connect in a live setting. Rocket to Rainier is 13 tracks of familiar, predictable comfort food, but the lack of surprises doesn’t mean these guys are asleep at the wheel — everything here is catchy, immediate, tight and passionately delivered. I can definitely get behind a band that gets right to the point, and “Reptilian Way” kicks straight into gear and delivers a sub-two-minute blast that starts the album off on the right foot. Songs like the title track and “Cotton Fever” bring the anthemic choruses you’d expect, and none of the songs really disrupt the flow of the head-down, chugga-chugga punk on offer here (there may be an eyebrow-raising song title or two, though). If you’re in a fist-pumping mood, this will fit the bill and not much more, but these guys can probably get you moving when you see them at a show.
(www.sailorsgraverecords.com)