I am one of those guys out there who has no problem admitting that they like the band Brand New.  Yeah, I can be a little sensitive when I need to be and sometimes pop-punky emo rock is all I need to soothe my nerves.  I am beyond the point in life where if you question me about this confession that I will challenge you to a duel with fists and a spiked club, but you get my drift.  Point is, I like all sorts of music and it was no surprise to me when I first heard State Lines and immediate dug them.  They sound relatively close to a younger Brand New and I am sure they are completely aware of that.

Earlier this year, State Lines, with help of Tiny Engines, released a 4 song self-titled 7-inch EP.  The result is a quick listen, but those four songs beg to be played over and over again.  They may have formed in 2010 and were probably born right around the time I was kicking ass in high school, but they do not sound very novice at all.

Speaking of high school…that guy on the cover of this 7-inch reminds me of Rotor Man.  Unless you grew up in Cleveland and went to Geauga Lake in the 90s, chances are you have no idea who I am talking about.

Anyways…

“5’s On The Elephant” started things off and was hands down the best track of the four.  This song that reminded me of the all the bands I started branching out to once I became a late fan of poppy punk  thanks to a girl who used to work with me at a record store back in the day.  It was almost a blend of Brand New and Taking Back Sunday and I completely was sucked into it.  Pounding drums matched up with catchy guitar playing just carried along a fun vibe throughout.  “Plenty Of Time” followed, but was not nearly as powerful as the opener.  Still, it was a good track that sped up halfway though.  B-side “Win Free” was another solid track to listen to.  I loved hearing the raspy voice of Dimitri met with Werring’s harmonic singing throughout the track.

Here’s hoping that this EP is just a sample of what they have in store for their next release which should be coming up shortly.  So what if they sound like Brand New? They sound amazing and I think that hey are well aware of that and plan on acting upon it.  Here’s hoping that their follow up LP drops very soon. I am stoked about this young act and can’t wait to see where their talent takes them next.

Check it out for yourself and see what I am taking about: