(As published for PushToFire.com)

 

Four Northeasterly pop punkers doing what they love, and to perfection – your first impression of ‘Castro’ may vary, though you really can’t fault their ability.

Whilst the originality of their sound won’t have you cartwheeling down the street in a “Eureka”-style fashion, they certainly have their genre down to a fine art, combining head-bobbingly catchy hooks with tight vocals, and guitar harmonies so smooth even the most avid ‘Dragonforce’ fan will feel somewhat tingly inside…!

However, debut single “Tonight Goodbye” is not typical of their usual style. More ‘Miss Black America’ meets ‘Fall Out Boy’, this one eases the listener in gently before hitting them with an aural onslaught of guitar riffage, bass grooveage, and…um…much drummage! Despite no initially obvious structure, the memorable repetition of the track’s title throughout gives for plenty of potential audience participation.

Although this is the main release, it’s actually the B-sides that had me clicking the Myspace play button well into double figures. The cheekily entitled “Get Hot Then We’ll Talk” is reminiscent of up-and-coming US exports ‘All Time Low’ and ‘Relient K’, while the anthemic “Simon” is guaranteed to have you singing along within the first chorus!

If these guys ever make it to ‘The Warped Tour’, it won’t be too soon.