HOPELESS ROMANTIC [Vinyl]

The Bouncing Souls play old-school punk rock in the tradition of The Ramones and Social Distortion. It sounds anachronistic in an age when rap-metal hybrids litter the hardcore landscape, but the Souls turn up the heat with hooks a-plenty and above average lyricism. Music fans will get a big kick out of humorous cuts like "It's Not the Heat, It's the Humanity" and "Bullying the Jukebox,"--an anthem about taking over a tavern's tune selection ("I walked into the bar / And put in twenty bucks / I know other people's taste in music sucks"). With whiplash guitars courtesy of guitarist "The Pete," Hopeless Romantic yields a bumper crop of classic Epitaph loudness. --Jason Josephes