Bowling for soup

Following in the wake of bands like Green 182, Blink 41 and Sum Day, Bowling For Soup peddle the kind of three-chord punk pop beloved of American teenagers. And, it must be said, they are extremely good at it, as evidenced by their current hit single, ‘Girl All The Bad Guys Want’ – years of teen angst distilled into three minutes of infectious hooks and comical lyrics about rap metal, nose piercings and enough self-pity for a Morrissey Best Of collection.

Paradoxically, this is also the Achilles heel of bands like Bowling For Soup. Their three-minute cartoon punk pop may be perfect bubblegum listening, but one the novelty wears off, you’re left with comic music: all painted-on grins and jokes that have worn a bit thin.

That said, there are some tracks of real quality here. The brilliant ‘Life After Lisa’, as well as being supremely hummable, is also the funniest take on the post-relationship situation I have heard in a long while. ‘Self-Centered’ is deliciously bitter, ‘Scaring Myself’ is achingly funny, while the ’80s-ish ‘Running From Your Dad’ is a welcome relief from the frenetic three chord tricks that went before.