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The Way Back

Real Talk // Man Overboard

Once upon a time I raged over the influx of pop-punk bands I was discovering who I felt sounded pretty much the same, or had few unique qualities. Then I came across New Jersey band, Man Overboard and I began to defend pop-punk once again.

As an avid pop-punk fan, I’ve followed bands such as The Wonder Years, With The Punches and Skyway and looked on with excitement as they developed and evolved. However in an activeness sense, none of these seem to match up to Man Overboard. In its existence the band has poured out releases, (from split 7-inches with buddies Transit to acoustic EPs) always giving something to their ever growing legions of fans. July last year saw the release of their debut full length Real Talk which many dubbed pop-punk album of the year ahead of The Wonder Years’ The Upsides, and Transit’s Keep This To Yourself. Real Talk’s sound differs slightly to previous releases due to the rougher and edgier sound that the quartet have gone with, emphasizing that they are indeed a pop-punk band. However, the oh so important balance is kept intact; a step up in the punk side of things only calls for the pop side of Man Overboard to excel. Catchy riffs and vocal harmonies (thanks to duel vocalists Zac Eisenstein and Nik Bruzzese) combined, assist in creating a perfect infectious sound.