We are less than a week away from election night (have you voted?!?!). To say tensions are high would be an understatement and I feel like we are all just kind of wandering around in this weird haze due to that, the pandemic, and just, well, 2020. I need distractions now more than ever and, for me, new music is the best distraction of them all. Thankfully, my buddy Lou over at Rum Bar Records (check them out– seriously) has been bombarding me with releases to review so I figured I may as well use this time to get caught up and get lost in some new music.

Zipgun Bomber’s five-song EP starts with “Chase That Feeling” and I instantly fell in love. Although I love Lou and everything I’ve heard from Rum Bar, this is the first release that I really see myself getting hooked on. This opening track is pure pop-punk. Not the new school whiny pop-punk, but the good old’ fashioned pop-punk a la Home Grown, old school Blink-182, Allister–dear lord the list goes on and on and I’m frankly just too stoked to even write anything else during this first track so excuse me while I listen to this play through a couple of times.

Okay, I’m back after listening to “Chase That Feeling” a couple of times but I was just as excited as “Reflections” pumped through my stereo. I really can not stress enough how much these guys sound like the good old fashioned pop-punk that I grew up on. It’s fun, it’s upbeat, and the lyrics just speak to me. “Reflections” had me bouncing up and down in my chair like an idiot and I realized just how thankful I was that my friend didn’t come over tonight to hang out and work while I did a few reviews. He would probably walk out the door and never look back due to how much I was geeking out over this track (and EP in general).

“Wishing For Rain” brings a very old school Blink 182 feel to this EP before going back to the Zipgun Bomber sound. Although I could compare this band to a million bands from my angsty teenage years, these guys stand out and, if I heard them in the middle of a playlist full of those nostalgic bands, I would definitely be able to pick them up. Although the instrumentation is a true flashback, the lyrics seem to be a bit more mature than, say, Simple Plan’s “I’m Just A Kid”. The same mood is there but it’s just a bit more grown-up which, as a pop-punk princess that refuses to give up her crown, is absolutely perfect.

The guitars in “Tuesday Afternoon” give me strong Green Day vibes and that’s not a complaint. The nostalgia continued through this song and my love for this band continued to grow. I realize that I haven’t really written anything constructive in this review but the amount of nostalgia I’m feeling and how much I’m in love with this group and happy that they exist truly just leaves me lost for words.

The title track ends this all-too-quick EP on a peaceful and calm note. “Paper Airplanes” is the sole acoustic track on this EP and, although I was loving my throwback back to my studded belt and too-much-hairspray days, this beautiful ending track catapulted me back to reality. You get to hear the true talent behind the vocals as this track plays through. Each word carries a weight with it. The emotion can be felt, not just heard and that makes for not only a beautiful ending track but also a powerful one.

I am constantly on the hunt for nostalgia. I love the days where I randomly recall a band from back in the day that I had completely forgotten about (today it was My American Heart). Although these trips down nostalgia lane are fun, I’ve always dreamt about finding a band that has this same sound but isn’t from years ago. Thank you Zipgun Bomber for being that band and giving me hope for the future of pop-punk.

My Favorite Track(s): All.Of.Them.

For Fans Of: Pop-Punk and Nostalgia

Dance-ability: 9 out of 10

What My Cats Thought Of It: Both cats hid upstairs for fear that I would grab them and make them dance with me (I probably would have done just that had they been near me)

How Badly I Want To See This Performed Live: 10 out of 10

My Overall Rating: 9.8 out of 10

Check Out Zipgun Bomber Here:

Check out ‘Paper Airplanes EP’ HERE!

Check Out Some More Releases From Rum Bar Records HERE!

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