The Red Hot Valentines get punchy on their debut,
Summer Fling. It's jammed tight with
Cars-like synth beats and crunchy guitar licks for a delectable mix of punk and pop.
The Red Hots don't do anything drastically different from the infectious presentation of
Weezer and
Jimmy Eat World, but that's all right. The vocal threesome of guitarist Jeff Johnson, second guitar player Tobin Kirk, and bassist David Gerkin give the Red Hots an extra oomph in the band's overall sonic goodness. From "Fair Warning"'s starry-eyed rock fun to the sunkissed riffs of "Wait for Summer," the Red Hots go for a big, sugarcoated sound. "This Heart of Mine" is sweet with its self-deprecating tale of figuring yourself out without socially losing grip. Other candied pop standouts like "Christine" and the achy,
Soul Asylum-like ballad "I Want To" showcase the band's influential favorites -- and they pull things off quite well.
Summer Fling is a solid effort from the Red Hot Valentines and certainly a decent look at a band in progress. ~ MacKenzie Wilson