Don't Look Down

Don't Look Down are a currently independent pop-punk band from New Jersey. I'd never heard of them until I saw them on the bill at the Edge 102.1's Electric Christmas '03. The other bands on the bill were Jersey, Gob, and Simple Plan - all Canadian pop-punk. Don't Look Down's name wasn't even on the lineup list. In fact, I couldn't figure out who these hyper kids who kept screaming "It's our first time in Canada!" were. Anyway, they were so enthusiastic about being here, despite the fact that no one had been expecting them, that I picked up their EP after their set. With better attitudes than half the bands out there today, Don't Look Down deserve any future success they get.

Start the Show (2002) 7 Thumbs Up

This is not a bad CD, but something is seriously missing. The main problem with Don't Look Down's debut is that vocalist Ryan Ogren tries too hard to sound like a pop-punk pretty boy. You know, unneccessary harmonies and trying to make his voice higher than it actually is. Every imaginable pop-punk cliche (songs about growing up, rebellion, heartbreak, etc) are used in their lyrics. Add in sugary production, and this comes off sounding pretty weak for anyone who's not a 13 year-old teeneybopper.

Some songs are good, like "On My Own" or "Brainwashed," but this CD is so generic that it's not even funny. I think it comes from the band recording absolutely everything they'd ever written prior to getting a record deal, instead of weeding out shoddier songs. Its only saving grace is that the songs are fast and somewhat catchy. I mean, the melodies are actually good, but it's produced so generically that it kills the song. It's just too bad they tried so hard to break into the already overstuffed mall punk market with this one. It's okay, though - they weren't like this for long.

Five [EP] (2003) 8 Thumbs Up

Five is five songs in fifteen minutes. This is just as catchy as DLD's debut, but the band has added some balls to their music. It's still pop-punk, but not nauseatingly predictable, and Ryan sounds natural when singing. I could tell from the first track, "Wake Me," which is pretty hard-hitting for a pop-punk song, that this EP was something good. The lyrics are still nothing noticeable, but they aren't as bad as last time around. The production is awesome - unlike Start the Show, you can actually hear something more than the guitars. For example, "Undone" has a killer bassline.

"Fast Forward" and "Bender" are great tracks, and make me not ashamed to admit that I like pop-punk. The EP ends with "Can You Hear Me?," an acoustic emo-y song that's a good way to close Five and very different from anything DLD has done before. If their next full-length is as good as this one, Don't Look Down could be set to destroy those mall punk kids.

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