Piano-based rhythms, sugar-coated pop hooks and Beach Boys-esque harmonies aren't things you'd expect to hear from the Hopeless/Sub City roster, the labels that launched the successful careers of such punk greats as Thrice and Avenged Sevenfold. But Sub City's latest signing, Orange County-based MELEE, incorporates these aforementioned elements to formulate an album rich with songs that merge the indie-rock sound with pop sensibilities that will strike a chord with not only the Hopeless/Sub City punk-based crowd, but will also extend outwards to fans of Rooney, Maroon 5 and Michelle Branch.
Take one spin of the band's debut album, Everyday Behavior, and you'll instantly take notice: the ivory-tickled "The Curse" has far more in common with Billy Joel's pop sensibilities than Benji and Joel's (Madden, that is) pop-punk, while the 6/8 ballad of "Sleeping Through Autumn" sports powerful vocal delivery cast against fluid, mature arrangements. Of course, it's impossible to miss the explosive lead track, "Got It All," which eagerly rockets the disc into a fierce frenzy, paying subtle homage to esteemed classics like The Police.