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The F-Ups - Self-titled

The F-Ups are a prime example of not judging a book by its cover. They have the classic punk rock mohawks, dressed in white T-shirts and jeans much like the Casualties or classic Rancid, but their music is a little less punk and a little more pop. It’s possible that the F-Ups may be the next punk pop-punkers unlike those other manufactured mega-pop-punk bands.

Not only have The F-Ups gotten a pretty large record deal, but they’ve also gotten the well-known mixer Tom Lord-Alge (Blink 182, Less Than Jake and Sum 41) to help keep their self-titled Capitol Records debut as tight as possible.

This self-titled release has all the makings of a perfect pop-punk album bathed in fist-pumping, teenage angst driven songs like “Look at Your Son Now” and “Falling Down.”

Take all the elements that make Simple Plan and New Found Glory so addictive, add them with the energy and mentality of the Vandals, NoFx and Rancid and the sum is The F-Ups. Their hook-filled musical and lyrical content will garner sing-a-longs from the first listen of such songs like “Glad That I Lost You” and “I Don’t Know.”

The F-Ups are still a young band and their song content reflects that. Songs like “Lazy Generation,” which is about a lack of wanting to do anything in life, soak the album, as well as “Crack Ho,” a song about sexual experimentation gone wrong.

Travis Allen’s vocals aren’t the whining shrieks that have saturated punk as we know it, rather his voice ranges somewhere between the sharpness of Authority Zero and the Vandals.

The F-Ups self-titled release will hit stores on July 13 and is the perfect album for some mid-summer fun. I give it a 7.5 (out of 10), because it does have some elements of a well-constructed rock group, but on the other hand there is a good amount of originality and sincerity. This is definitely an album for anyone who’s a sucker for hook-filled, mosh pit action.

Suggested Listening: "Look at Your Son Now," "Falling Down" and "Lazy Generation"

By: Adam K. Zakroczymski III – Senior Editor / Founder

June 30, 2004