Houston Calls are another new Rushmore / Drive-Thru Records band and ‘A Collection Of Short Stories’ is their debut album. This album was produced by Ed Rose who’s worked with bands such as The Get Up Kids and Motion City Soundtrack so surely for Houston Calls, who are a band with a keyboardist themselves, he is the perfect choice to produce their debut. A Collection Of Short Stories is exactly that, a collection of stories told in the form of melodic pop-punk songs. But will their stories be worth listening to.

The first song/story ‘Sunrise Goodbyes’ is a great start and really reminds me of Motion City Soundtrack as it is a great pop-punk song and the addition of the keyboards works perfectly on this song. ‘Exit, Emergency’ is the next song and it is the lead single from this album and is another really upbeat considering it is a song about a messy break up. Also the catchy chorus will have you singing along by the end of your first listen. The next song is another great example of pop-punk done well. The brilliantly written ‘Bob And Bonnie’ is a song about vocalist Tom Keiger’s parents relationship and how it has effected his views on love and how their relationship has become a template for him of how a relationship should be, it is a really great song.

The next song that really stands out for me is ‘Amtrak Is For Lovers’ which is a slower piano-driven number. The vocals from Tom Keiger really stand out on this song and it is a really beautiful song. They get back onto a catchier sing-along vibe with ‘One More Won’t Hurt’ which sounds like an ode to the drunken hook up. The chorus is brilliant yet again, as is the piano which really adds to the song, especially in the melodic break down half way through. You have to wait until the end though to get to one of the best songs, ‘A Pen And A Piece Of Mind’ is more evidence of the quality of this band, it’s another catchy upbeat track that shows Houston Calls at their best and believe me their best is amazing.

Houston Calls really know how to write a catchy song as they’ve done on more than one occasion on this album. It takes more than just that though to make a quality album, ‘A Collection Of Short Stories’ is an album full of identity and creativity and most of all it’s a fun summery record. They are amongst a group of bands like Fall Out Boy and Motion City Soundtrack that bring a bit of originality to the table and make pop-punk still worth listening too. So if you’re a fan of the genre or have ever been then check out this album because albums this good don’t come along too often.

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