ATP! Album Review: Punk Goes Pop 5

It isn’t a secret that the Punk Goes Pop series stands on reasonably sketchy territory - they can be fairy hit or miss. The main argument being that the punk side of things weren’t really being that punk at all, sticking quite close to the original pop versions of the songs as opposed to bringing in their own gritty flair. However, that seems to have changed with "Punk Goes Pop 5".

Several of the bands featured managed to change their pop songs for the better and give them new spins that they so desperately needed after being played half to death. Mayday Parade breathed a new life into 'Somebody That I Used to Know' with the help of Vic Fuentes, creating a version that we haven’t heard so many times that we want to rip our ear drums out as soon as the opening chords start to play. The Maine enlisted Adam Lazzara to help turn Cyndi Lauper’s 'Girls Just Want To Have Fun' into a chill ‘90s rock tinged song that seems more suited for a coffeeshop than anything else. And the most surprising cover of the compilation comes in the form of Forever The Sickest Kids’ 'We Found Love'. Starting out much like the original with heavy dance beats riddled with rhythmic claps. A little over half way through, the song breaks down into growls and screams much unlike anything else FTSK has previously produced.

While there are still covers that may not have altered from the originals as much as one might have hoped (Memphis May Fire’s stab at 'Grenade' and Craig Owens’ take on 'Paradise') they’re still worth the listen as they are just as catchy as their precursors.

That being said, "Punk Goes Pop 5" does still have its duds. Issues’ cover of 'Boyfriend' still isn’t enough to make that song worth the three minutes it takes to listen to it and Breathe Carolina managed to turn 'Billie Jean' into a lifeless robotic piece of over-manufactured pop.

Yet, the good outweigh the few in this release and though it is in no way a perfect compilation, it sure is a step up from the previous few.

3/5

Victoria Patneaude

"Punk Goes Pop 5" is out November 6th through Fearless Records.