Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock for the last few years, you will have no doubt picked up on the fact that pop-punk is back, and in a big way. The second release proper by New Jersey quintet Man Overboard sees the band up their game to ensure their position near the top of this pop-punk revival.
The first twenty seconds of album opener ‘Rare’ lead to a number of assumptions regarding the self-titled effort; firstly that the album may be full of slightly offbeat and uncoordinated noise (luckily this does not turn out to be the case), or secondly, that the band are attempting to break into more experimental territory in order to deliver something different.
Whether Man Overboard do manage to offer something truly unique is debatable, however the excellent vocals, musicianship and catchy song-writing do help to form a highly enjoyable record. Where the band truly stand out is the dedication to maintain a raw quality underneath highly polished production; throughout the entire album there is a clear indication that this band could still be five teenagers playing music in their mum’s basement.
Overall, Man Overboard have succeeded in developing on their sound from previous releases, and are on a direct path to becoming pop-punk superstars.
BEN TIPPLE