Fireworks

Carrying on in the tradition of New Found Glory and Saves the Day, Fireworks make pop punk that's as appealing to grown men with tattoos as it is to genre purists. The band's latest EP, Fireworks, follows 2009's All I Have is My Own Confusion. It's a short but sweet offering that kicks off with "I Grew Up in a Legion Hall," an ode to the all-ages music scene. With lyrics like, "There's nothing I'd rather do than break fire codes with you," the song is cheesy, but undeniably nostalgia inducing for those who had their musical coming of age in sweaty all-ages halls. The country-tinged "Five Years" is a bit of a break from form, with more than a little Get Up Kids influence, while "Like Ships in the Night" is a self-affirming nod to living outside societal norms, a theme that continues with closer "Seasick." Who knew pop punk could work so well without a love song in sight?