As I’ve been saying all year, 2011 really is ”The Year that Pop-Punk Strikes Back.” Alongside quality releases from genre heavyweights like NEW FOUND GLORY, YELLOWCARD, and UNWRITTEN LAW, comes YOUR NAME ALL OVER IT, the debut-ish release from Chicago outfit KNOCKOUT KID. Not to be confused with their self-released effort of the same title, this new EP hit iTunes this week via THC:Music/Rocket Science Ventures.
Following in the footsteps of Windy City rockers past, fans of ALLISTER, FALL OUT BOY, or a band that was just called ”KNOCKOUT” (no relation), should find something to love within the five tracks presented in the set.
There’s some of that NFG feel in Hoop Dreams, which borrows a title from the Chicago-set Steve James documentary of the same name. They get a little heavier than your standard pop-punk on …Is A Dead Man with a little bit of fast fretwork that carries into Coach Has Us Running Two-a-Days, which comes complete with gang vocals and a hardcore breakdown.
Despite the willingness to stretch the musical boundaries by bringing in that heaviness, the pop-punk genre trappings emerge with talk of ”going down” on a “sinking ship” on So Long, So Cal, and the well-traveled metaphors of “changing lanes,” “moving too fast,” and “driving away” on Interstate. You almost have to wonder if the song was originally written about trains, railways, tracks, etc., as it would’ve been just as cheesy.
KNOCKOUT KID starts strong, ends average, but shows promise as they move toward an anticipated full-length sometime next year.
Rating: 3/5 Stars
