Local Review: The Hung Ups – Against The Wall

As most pop punk goes, I’m very selective. Most bands sound like Blink-182 or The Queers rip-offs—trying to stick to a formula and not really trying anything new. Though The Hung Ups don’t technically “break new ground,” they still release some enjoyable music. A lot of the songs have mid-tempo paces, like “I Hate Everyone Today” and “Challenges,” while “Saying Goodbye” and “Johnny is a Janitor” tend to speed things up a bit, all while maintaining smooth guitar melodies that contrast with the vocals’ similarity to Fat Mike’s. Against the Wall is not, by any means, a bad album—I just feel like I have heard it before. Then again, I can’t get enough of this music. –Eric U. Norris