Artist: MxPx
Album: Plans Within Plans
Genre: Pop-Punk
Label: Rock City Recording Company

MxPx has been around, and to anyone familiar with the 90’s style pop-punk, this album will not disappoint. This band has been doing their sound for a while, I can even remember the first time I heard them. In 2002 a movie came out called “Scooby-Doo” and it was a live-action adaptation of one of my favorite cartoons, and MxPx recreated the theme song. At this point in my life I was on a steady diet of Sum 41 and New Found Glory, so hearing a version of this theme song was instantly cool, and I remember checking out some of their albums. I’ve never been a huge MxPx fan (nothing really stuck, which I feel is bound to happen when you consume the amount of bands I do, and it really doesn’t matter how good or popular you are. Some will not just have lasting power, and while MxPx’s Plans Within Plans does not make them “last” in my head, but this release is definitely a fun listen.

Like all their other releases, the new MxPx is very much a “summer in mind” release, taking influences from that West Coast style of pop-punk that fan of Bad Religion would enjoy. The album rarely loses pace, if ever, which is really nice. Plans Without Plans is definitely the kind of album you picture listening to on the way to the beach or something summery of that sort. The instrumentation never really breaks any new ground within the pop punk genre, but a group of their longevity I don’t necessarily see this as a bad thing. A lot of bands in the genre today are copycatting previous pop-punk acts or ones that are even popular today (ie every band in the scene right now wanting to be The Wonder Years), but MxPx sticks fairly close to the style that made them popular, which is admirable. “In The Past” has some really great guitar playing, and it’s definitely a fun listen. Lyrically, there isn’t much to write home about with Plans Without Plans. Nothing is too out of the ordinary, with songs about partying and being with best friends and girls, the writing will do nothing to surprise anyone. But again with nine studio albums, it’s a miracle that they can even put out an album at all (this isn’t supposed to sound toolish, I generally think it’s cool that they can still kick it after all their other albums, many bands would burn out).

MxPx put out a solid release. I won’t lie and say this is going to be on heavy rotation, cause frankly it wont be. I was never really into this band, but for people who have been following them for a while I would definitely check out this album. It’s fun, it moves, and it will remind you why you love summer: it’s fresh, pop-punk music sounds right, and your windows are down listening to fun music that hardly makes you frown.

SCORE: 6/10

FFO: Bad Religion, NOFX, Summer Drives

Written By: Tyler Osborne

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Tyler Osborne

Live in DC, grew up in PA. I specialize in writing, filming and taking pictures about punk, pop-punk, and hardcore music, and I also have a huge background in film as well. When not on the site, i'm running my own internet radio show, ToZ's Edge Radio (www.facebook.com/tozedgeradio). I also love stage diving and goldfish.

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