I really liked the debut full-length from Minneapolis’ Small Towns Burn A Little Slower. Called Morality As Home Entertainment, it was pop-punk but with just enough to distinguish it from the standard-issue Warped Tour fare. Their latest (and, sadly, final) album So Begins The Test Of A Man is (again) full of what could basically be called pop-punk, but has a slicker sound than its predecessor and could be called more “mature” (as cheesy as that sounds).
And even though the tunes on So Begins The Test Of A Man are still super-melodic and catchy, they’ve been slowed down a bit to a more mid-tempo pace. “What Is It Worth” reminds me a lot of the pedal-steel pop-punk of Hot Rod Circuit (a good thing) and (surprisingly) one of the best songs on the album is the acoustic “Meth Is The New America.” I usually abhor the token acoustic song, but there is just something very real about it; something sincere. And while So Begins… isn’t exactly the send-off I’d liked to have gotten from these guys (I think they are capable of more), it is still good. Rec’d for fans of Cartel, Taking Back Sunday, Gratitude, etc…
MP3 | Small Towns Burn A Little Slower – Rx (Drive) So Begins The Test Of A Man
MP3 | Small Towns Burn A Little Slower – Meth Is The New America So Begins The Test Of A Man
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