The Roman Line

Someone’s been paying attention to their Social D records, and all the records that the guys in Social D probably paid attention to. The mega-gritty band photo that adorns the back of this record doesn’t really prepare the listener for the really poppy melodies that show up on songs like "Bakersfield,” but that slightly misleading aesthetic decision is easily forgiven when this band make clear that they don’t just listen to bands that listen to Hank Williams: they actually listen to Hank Williams. The Roman Line rock the kind of sensitive, cool melodic punk rock that Mike Ness and company made awesome in the ’90s and infuse it with the kind of drive that makes kids on Punknews.org flip out. Songs like "Freefall” push forward with insanely catchy choruses and an emotional intensity that are sometimes hard to capture on (what is presumably) a small budget. They are not likely to stay independent for long.