Reviews

Anxious & Angry

Busy Weather Busy Weather 12″

Rough-around-the-edges pop punk from Asheville, North Carolina. For some of you, this says it all. For everyone else, a brief stylistic overview: the above description refers to a micro-genre of pop punk, mostly from the Southeastern US, typically without the smooth finish of an Epitaph or Fat Wreck release. There’s plenty of memorable guitars and vocals that are equal parts abrasive and melodic. The tempo rarely goes much over 150 BPM and sometimes it can slow to a sleazy crawl. This record competently covers all those bases. If you liked anything from ADD/C to FUTURE VIRGINS, this release sits comfortably alongside them in a crowded living room show.

Busy Weather Look Up! LP

I get that this is never going to make it to mainstream “alternative” radio like it kind of wants to. It’s fast. Then they slow it down. Then more fast. It’s poppy and it’s punk. It’s pop punk. And it’s got some gritty female vocals. This is well-played and all that, but for me, at least, something is missing. If you ever wondered about the difference between power pop and pop punk, this record could help in that regard. 100% pop punk. In the end, I just feel like they don’t do enough to separate themselves from the pack.