Odd Robot - "A Late Night Panic" 12" LP - FFO: Smoking Popes, Jawbreaker, Alkaline Trio

[wiretaprecords]

Odd Robot's debut album "A Late Night Panic" is available on a 12" Orange Vinyl via Wiretap Records. Reminiscent of bands like Jawbreaker, Alkaline Trio, and Smoking Popes, the band dishes out an album chock full of melodies and punk hooks that'll make them your new favorite band. Pick up the LP and limited enamel pin bundle over at www.wiretaprecords.com. Listen HERE

 

"When I first heard that Odd Robot was likening themselves to a Southern California version of The Smoking Popes, I was skeptical. I thought to myself, “I know the Smoking Popes, as Lloyd Bentsen might say. And you, sir, are no Smoking Popes.” They’re one of the great bands to combine pop punk and power pop, with great song writing and beautiful crooning vocals. How could any band even come close to replicating that? But you know what? Odd Robot are pretty damn close. They’ve got a very similar sound, blending pop punk and power pop, they’ve got some really catchy songs, and front man Andy Burris’ vocals are nice and smooth. They’re a brand new band from Southern California’s Inland Empire, just starting out. This debut LP coincides with their first shows playing out, which means they’ve been busy practicing and recording in secret for some time, because they’re tight as hell. It usually takes new bands a little while to get their bearings and figure out what their sound is, but this is really well done. The balance is perfect: the band is polished without sounding like sell-outs, and they’ve got an aggressive edge without sounding rough. While there seriously isn’t a clinker on the whole album, there are a few tracks that stand out. “Empty Bottles” is a slower track that’s got a great melody and an arrangement that really highlights Burris’ crooning vocal qualities, as is “Do You Ever Do.” “Summer’s Old” could be my favorite track of the album, so laden with hooks, it is, and with poetic lyrics of lost love and regrets. The closer is the delicate acoustic “Satellite,” which is just gorgeous, with its spare arrangement of guitar and synth behind the pensive vocals. Every year there’s an early contender for the best albums of the year list, and this one is 2017’s. Get this."

- Paul Silver (Jersey Beat)