Sing It Loud ALBUM: âÄúEverything CollideâÄù LABEL: Epitaph RELEASE DATE: May 11 The era of Blink-182 is over. Pop punk is dead. In its place have emerged countless bands emulating the predictable, radio-friendly sounds of so many other teeny-bopper rock bands. A-D-G, A-D-G, are there any other chord arrangements out there? Now, a Minneapolis-based group has followed this tried and true formula for fame, and itâÄôs working. A&E got the scoop on Sing It Loud, whose tenure on Epitaph records has led to the release of their second LP âÄúEverything Collide.âÄù While nothing new or revolutionary, Sing It LoudâÄôs upcoming album may be what it takes for this band to break onto radio waves. Covering the same musical ground as bands such as JackâÄôs Mannequin or The All-American Rejects, âÄúEverything CollideâÄú is so sweetly poppy that its embrace by the younger bright-eyed crowd is almost guaranteed. For all the rest of the cynical music zombies out there, the only reaction will be a dial change or a push of the skip button. This is not to say that the album is without merit. Produced by area pop-punk super producer Jordan Schmidt, who has produced or engineered albums for the likes of Motion City Soundtrack and Metro Station, the tracks are slick and perfectly mastered. Lead singer and guitarist Pat Brown has obviously released a torrent of emotion into the record. âÄúOver the past year and a half, weâÄôve grown up so much, like, on the road.âÄù Brown said. âÄúOn this record, we had a lot more to write about lyrically. There are love songs, there are hate songs, there are songs about our hometown. ItâÄôs a very honest and personal album.âÄù BrownâÄôs boyish charm infuses their tracks with an honest immaturity. Earnest lyrics from their first single, âÄúSugar SweetâÄú like, âÄúSheâÄôs sugar sweet/sheâÄôs all that I need/itâÄôs taking all that I have to hold on/her angel eyes/a clever disguise/IâÄôm doing all that I can to move on,âÄù are par for the course and routinely weak. Cliché after cliché, the lyrics are simple but match the musical backing. Gang choruses and cheers of âÄúYeah!âÄù interspaced in songs emote a sense of youth and hope that many older bands lose. The instrumentation follows the typical pop, mass-audience-friendly sounds. WhatâÄôs a minor key? Unlike many other bands of their genre, guitar solos reminiscent of âÄô80s metal bands are prevalent, albeit much simpler. âÄúWe recorded [the album] song by song after watching a Def Leppard DVD and seeing how Mutt Lange did that as a producer.âÄù But Van Halen they are not. ItâÄôs interesting that the music greedily consumed by starstruck 16-year-old lovers is written by people in their 20s. (The median age of the members of Sing It Loud is 21.) Perhaps a strict life of touring and recording prevents Sing It Loud and many other bands like them from truly growing up. The world needs this music though; without it, what else would high-schoolers use to soundtrack their turbulent teen years?