How annoying are incredibly overrated records? There is nothing worse than hearing an album which you know for sure is nothing special and then jumping online to see an avalanche of hype, right? Wrong. Spare a thought for those bands missing out. While overrated records are certainly annoying, nothing frustrates me more than falling in love with a record that gets not nearly enough attention and praise as it should. Introducing Top Button, Bottom Shelf by Banquets.

After 2010’s Nothing Is Fucked Here and This Is Our Concern Dude, Banquets gifted us with a well rounded split with Mayflower which can be seen as a little teaser to their full length, released just a month later. After a substantial amount of impressive releases in a short amount of time, it would be forgiven for the average Banquets fan to question why the band isn’t at bigger heights. The recognition is there – just not the hype.

“377” serves as an introduction to the 10 track release from the New Jersey quartet. Over a string of time-keeping guitars, vocalist Travis Omilian sings, “You’ll never smile, you’ll never be right/ I hope you’re searching, while I found some spite/ I’m better now that we don’t speak”, lyrical content which despite the comforting warmth it is sung with, adds a little contrasting bitterness.

On each release, Banquets presents certain echoes of The Loved Ones and Carpenter which are not lost on their debut full length. Despite the similarities they convey, Banquets have their own unique style of lyricism – witty and snarky with a side of humour to assure you there are no strings attached. What you see is what you get.

“Forever Bender” precisely exposes their blunt way with words: “I pissed in your garden, now nothing’s going to grow/ Aren’t we all poets? Yeah, I know./ I collect what I can remember, in a box because I’m getting old.“ Throw in some catchy hooks and pub-style sing alongs courtesy of some gang vocals and here stands one of the records strongest tracks.

Several references to family members occur in “Sound Of Money” and “Best Night Of The Night”, like that of The Gaslight Anthem, however Omilian opts for Mom and Dad rather than Mamma and Papa. “Unforgiven V” begins with a 30 second riff which is of striking similarity to that of New Found Glory’s “2’s & 3’s”.  Stand out track, “Sometimes A Wolf” doesn’t appear until the album’s near end, showcasing Banquets’ best and catchiest track, possibly to date.

Top Button, Bottom Shelf  is a prime example of modern day punk rock. However, on Facebook, Banquets don’t list “punk-rock” as their genre but instead, “Fucking Famous”. Perhaps that’s exactly what they should be.