The Pink Spiders

Sweat It Out

[3/5]

Like any other genre, power pop has a set of rules. Most were laid down by the Cars in the ’80s (whose Ric Ocasek produced the Pink Spiders’ Teenage Graffiti) and carried into the present by Weezer (who must have produced much of the band’s musical outlook). To their credit, the Spiders have mastered all of them: Harmonizing in drawn-out “oohs” and “ahhs” in the background vocals, stomping piano riffs, crunching buzzsaw guitars, saccharine vocal hooks, pleading three-part harmonies, new-wave keyboards pushing half-time choruses and lightweight lyrics about girls. Congratulations, team, you’ve earned your black belts in power pop! But depending on what mood you’re in, the familiar tropes of the genre can either come off as tried-and-true or clichéd. Opinions will likely be evenly split on Sweat It Out. For every moment of sheer exuberant energy (“Gimme Chemicals”) and sticky sweet teen power pop (“Seventeen Candles”), there are songs where the band, hyped on the rush of their own infectious energy, seem to lose control of the wheel. Then again, when you’re driving a high-octane ride like this, that’s bound to happen from time to time. (MEAN BUZZ/ADRENALINE) Luke O’Neil

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Sloan’s Navy Blues

The Fratellis’ Costello Music

The Exploding Hearts’ Guitar Romantic