Generic punk rock can only take me so far. There’s something to be said about creating a tune that can find a way to reside in a person’s mind due to its catchiness. With albums such as Fear Of Lipstick’s self-titled release, it all just becomes a subtle equation in my head and, after more than a dozen years of listening to poppy punk, I still haven’t figured out how it works. Sometimes bands in this genre strike me in the right way and endear themselves to me and other times their music comes across as dull, redundant, and utterly unnecessary. I’m not sure where Fear Of Lipstick lay. I enjoy their ability to create a hooky tune now and then but does fifteen songs come off as a bit much? For too long, many of the bands that loosely fit in this genre have done nothing to create an impression on a person like myself who doesn’t find it to be a favorite, let alone in my top five favorite genres. This really didn’t do much for me. I don’t even feel like it would be worth much to those who like this genre. It doesn’t bring much that is new, nor does it get me excited about music in general. Then again, all I’ve been listening to lately is Leatherface, so perhaps I’ve just been spoiled.
–kurt (It’s Alive)