My favourite Norwegian pop punks The Hallingtons returned in October with a brand new EP. Titled 1-2-3-4 Songs and released on Monster Zero, it promised some more top notch Ramones inspired pop punk gems. Looking over the tracklisting on the EP I'm quick to assume that this is going to be a pop punk whirlwind with all four songs on the release coming in at less than two minutes in length. This should be fun!
1-2-3-4 Songs begins with Annie T. I'm actually kind of reminded of The Undertones song Here Comes The Summer here, which is no bad thing. It's a simple and light hearted song that will bring a smile to your face whilst you bop along to the infectious beat. It's about having a big crush on the girl on the TV. Up next is Shithouse. Where Annie T was more of a softer, cheerier track, Shithouse definitely falls into the punk side of the pop punk sound. Musically it's very fast and the vocals are more aggressive. Despite only being one minute and seventeen seconds long it packs one hell of a punch, no second is wasted. As with all the best pop punk songs, there are plenty of "whoa-oh" moments for the listener to gleefully shout along too. The Hallingtons swap around the pop punk sound again on the penultimate song Library Girl. It falls excellently into that style that mixes The Ramones and The Beach Boys that The Queers played so well. Library Girl is a song about having a crush for the girl in the library and visiting just to see her. Doing things that you normally wouldn't just for the chance to see that person you've fallen hard for is something I'm sure we can all relate to. The last track on 1-2-3-4 Songs is titled She's So Cool. This is my favourite song on the EP, it mixes fast pop punk with sugary sweet vocals to stunning effect. It's incredibly catchy and you'll be singing the chorus of the song for days. It's another song about a girl and thinking that she's great despite any flaws she might have. Lyrically it's kind of silly but it's just a crazy amount of fun that you'll be, again, smiling from start to finish.
1-2-3-4 is short and sweet and utterly fantastic. I don't really have much more to say than that. If you're a fan of The Ramones, Teenage Bottlerocket, Masked Intruder, The Queers or any other pop punk of that ilk you should be checking out The Hallingtons.
Stream and download 1-2-3-4 Songs here: https://thehallingtons.bandcamp.com/
Like The Hallingtons here: https://www.facebook.com/hallingtons/
This review was written by Colin Clark.
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