Autopilot Off

Despite the time it takes to get over the intense weirdness of Tim Armstrong collaborating with a pop rock band, Make A Sound proves an enjoyable listen, shying away from the punk side of things and instead embracing a more open, straight-ahead rock sound. Ironically, the tracks co-written with Armstrong prove to be some the weakest of the bunch, while those penned by the band alone prove that they don’t need any heavy-hitting collaborators to create solid tunes. "Clockwork,” the only other collaborative track on the album, was co-written with producer Greig Nori (Treble Charger), and seems to fit the band’s sound better than any of Armstrong’s songs. Still, the band really seems to shine on tracks like "Chromatic Intervention,” where they meld perfectly their punk energy with plain rock sensibility. An Orange County band with as many connections north of the border as south, on Make A Sound Autopilot Off have proven that they are much more than a simple pop punk band.