Man Overboard - Real Talk

Man Overboard
Real Talk
Run For Cover Records
B





Defend pop-punk. This is the catchy, yet often argued mantra of New Jersey-based rockers Man Overboard. That mantra in mind, the band dropped their debut full-length Real Talk roughly a month earlier than expected due to some piracy woes, and having it playing through my headphones leaves me with some interesting questions. Is Man Overboard really defending pop-punk? Is Real Talk even a pop-punk record? Was does this all even mean to the pop-punk scene?

I will go as far as saying Man Overboard doesn’t quite embody the qualities of pop-punk in the ways bands like The Wonder Years or The Swellers. Sure, there are some great pop-punk tunes on this record, as the pogo-inducing “Al Sharpton”, the punching, yet gleeful “Parting Gift” or the lyrical heart-tugging titular opener prove. Yet, this album is more of a pop-rock (or dare I say powerpop?) gem than an album worth mentioning in the same breath as say The Upsides of Enemy Of The World.

Still, that doesn’t mean I’d be lying if I said Real Talk is a solid album. Between the infectious vocal melodies and solid boy versus girl lyricism, Man Overboard has a great foundation regardless of where on the genre sheet you’ll try to pin them. Whether it is guilty pleasure quality of “Fantasy Girl” or the outpouring words in “She’s Got Her Own Man Now”, you’ll have a hard time not wanting to learn the words to these tracks. Sure, it gets a bit whiny if your lyrical palate is above such topics, but this is a record about having honest fun while being honest about relationships, even if it gets a bit juvenile in the process. Not quite reinventing the wheel, but not necessarily burning it off the tread in the process.

Lying underneath said lyricism is a band aware of their pop tendencies as they meld into anything from crunching pop-punk to borderline Forever The Sickest Kids melodies. I feel guilty even listening to “Fantasy Girl” after hearing it compared to Cash Cash, but regardless of my internal guilt to enjoying a song so inherently powerpop, that song is ridiculously catchy.

There are a few bumps in the road though, as the occasional songwriting blips do sneak in during Real Talk. “She’s Got Her Own Man Now” waits about a verse or so too long to explode into anything more than muted guitars, repetitive lyrics and a simple drum beat. On top of that, the tunnel-vision focus on girl problems for most of the record might leave a bit of a sour taste in your mouth. Man Overboard isn’t always on the top of their game, but considering this is their first full-length, you can see where they can improve on their songwriting in the future.

So in a slightly cliched fashion, here’s some real talk for Real Talk. It’s good, but not quite up there considering where the bar has been set over the past year or so in the bands Man Overboard is starting to be associated with. Take note though, this is still a fun record worthy of spinning in any format, especially if you’ve got some pent up frustration towards an old girl/boy.