The Kobanes
Japan Invasion
Fixing a Hole/Dumb! Records
6/10

More legitimate pop punk, but lacking the expertise of the masters. It’s not bad though; definitely more in the ’80s to early ’90s Queers/Vindictives vein. One of the quirkier songs on the album is “Nobody,” which is a cover of a cover. It’s obviously based on Chixdiggit’s version of the song by Sylvia, but it still manages to be a unique interpretation. There are far too many sound bites for my liking and the album has a general immaturity, but I can hardly fault a pop punk band for that. “I Can’t” is probably the catchiest song on the album and makes the most use of the best elements of the genre. There is a decent instrumental midway, plus a Dickies cover. The Kobanes are not the next Copyrights, but they’ve put together a solid effort here.

-Luke Toney