Autopilot Off

Item: Autopilot Off
Author: Scott Sipling

(2002)

Reviewed by Scott Sipling

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Label Mercury RecordsDecapolisAugust 2003

pop punk punk

Pop-punk. The mere sound of the words makes many shudder. I, myself am one of those people. When I was given this 5 song EP from Autopilot Off to review, I was told by someone who shall remain nameless, that it was "some pop-punk band." With a million pre-conceived notions flying through my head, it was hard to sit down and really listen to what this band has to offer. In their press release from the Island/Def Jam Music Group, it states "the pop/punk tag is cool with them, just as it is with the more established bands they've toured all over with: Sum 41, Less than Jake, MxPx, New Found Glory, and H2O." Before going into a dissertation about why I disdain every one of those bands above, let me actually talk about the album.

It starts out with a medium tempo song about not giving yourself away because it's all that you are or something like that. It's called "Long way to Fall." Nothing very inspiring here. It contains typical pop/punk type vocals mixed with some typical pop/punk drums, bass, and guitar. Seriously, the biggest thing I noticed while listening to this song was the fact that it was mixed pretty well. It's a good recording.

This song merges into a song that sounds about the same. Followed by another song that sounds about the same as that. Followed by another song that sounds eerily familiar to another song I've heard before. I think you get the idea. Don't get me wrong, they do what they do well, but this is definitely pop/punk at its...finest?

The high point of the album comes on the third track of the album, which offers a Midtown type flavor. It's pop/punk with a little thought behind it, and it at least gets your feet tapping. It also has a bridge that throws in some piano, so that's two points for using another instrument.

Overall, this album is nothing I feel comfortable recommending. If you like pop/punk, you'll probably like this album. It does what it does well. Unfortunately, what it does well is contrived pop/punk music.