Home Town Hero’s self-titled debut is a very good, catchy piece of rock. They fuse power-pop with gritty, garage punk sounds to make something that would fit perfectly into modern rock rotation. It’s not great, but it’s certainly enjoyable all the way through.

This band from southern California is:

Aaron Bruno – vocals/ guitar
Drew Stewart – guitar
Todd Burnes – bass
Ray Blanco – drums

The band came together in the mid-90s when Bruno and Stewart met in high school. They both declared their love of music to each other, and soon they were writing and playing together. They started as a hardcore band but eventually began being influenced by more melodic rock such as Nirvana and the Beatles. After Blanco joined the band, they put out an EP, changed their name, and recorded their first album: Home Town Hero.

The album begins with the smooth Bleeds in Blue, a song that will have you swaying from the get-go. The verses are mellow, but the catchy chorus exhibits their grittier sound. The two styles are blended perfectly on this song as they are throughout the album.

You’ll stop swaying and start head banging by the second song, Questions, a fast track that sounds like a cross between Weezer (who they will be joining on tour this year) and Local H. The loud chorus is yet another one that has been getting stuck in my head on and off for weeks: “We’re waiting for answers that nobody knows/ We started to follow so long ago/ Cause Iiiiii’ve been waaiii-ting.” This one could be a decent radio hit, but I’m not sure many stations have picked up on the band yet.

The next few songs are good but resemble Bleeds in Blue more than Questions. Although these slower tracks are very good, especially Twelve Ounce, I was hoping for some heavier tunes. That comes along with Run Right Through, another rough, Local-H-type tune with angry vocals and heavy guitars. It leans a lot closer to the punk side than most of the other songs.

It slows back down with Eighteen, but not too much. It’s mostly mellow, but the guitars are pretty heavy through a lot of it, and the chorus is catchy as well: “All the things you said to me, well/ Made me cry myself to sleep, and/ Kinda think I like it/ Pretty sure I like it.” The slowest is Bed of Dreams, a sweet and heartfelt love ballad. Saturday Morning cranks it back up to close the album. It’s not very fast, but it’s heavy enough to make you want to scream along to the chorus: “Better kill me, tonight/ Before you see me cry.” It’s a perfect closer – right in between the slow power-pop and the gritty garage punk.

I like just about every song on this album. After hearing Questions, I was left wanting more punk, but I’ll settle for the power-pop since it is very well done from the lyrics to the instruments and especially to the vocals. Home Town Hero is a solid first effort, but I know it could have been better. The album left me wanting more, though, as I could sense a lot of untapped potential. I guess we’ll have to wait and see what’s next from this young band. I know I’m looking forward to it already.


For more info, check out http://hometownheromusic.com/


Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: Hanging With Friends