If there's a lesson to be learned from Tales From Wyoming, and pop punk in general, it's that four power chords and a beer can's worth of charm can go a long way. Over 14 tracks, Teenage Bottlerocket tune into the heart and mind of a teenage boy and come out raunchy, amusing and, for the most part, lovable. The cheeky "Nothing Else Matters (When I'm With You)" is a love story told through Metallica references; "Too Much La Collina" is about pizza; "They Call Me Steve" is about Minecraft; "Haunted House" is about a haunted house; and if George A. Romero and the Ramones were mashed together, you'd have "Dead Saturday."
Every so often, Teenage Bottlerocket break down their tongue-in-cheek demeanour and offer something a little more earnest. The delightful "Can't Quit You," and the album's closer "First Time," wear their heart on their leather-clad sleeves, and give the record some depth, an element the rest of the album has in short supply. Tales From Wyoming stays safely in the established genre without trying to be groundbreaking, but simplicity and quirky immaturity are the bread and butter of pop punk, and there's enough to satisfy here.
(Rise)Every so often, Teenage Bottlerocket break down their tongue-in-cheek demeanour and offer something a little more earnest. The delightful "Can't Quit You," and the album's closer "First Time," wear their heart on their leather-clad sleeves, and give the record some depth, an element the rest of the album has in short supply. Tales From Wyoming stays safely in the established genre without trying to be groundbreaking, but simplicity and quirky immaturity are the bread and butter of pop punk, and there's enough to satisfy here.