Sullivan

Cover Your Eyes

[3.5]

Sullivan’s 2006 debut Hey, I’m A Ghost was the perfect example of a band playing it safe on their first chance at a big-time record. The frequent comparisons to traditionally sappy acts such as Taking Back Sunday must have struck a poor chord with these Chapel Hill, North Carolina, boys as Cover Your Eyes is everything the last record wasn’t-a confident and comfortable pop-rock record you wouldn’t be ashamed to keep on your iPod once you graduate from high school. With several tracks that would slip easily into the next hit teen romantic comedy, the band’s sound is nearly reminiscent of a more melodramatic and mature All-American Rejects. Led by an ambitious vocal effort from frontman Brooks Paschal, the group keep the filler and unnecessary ballads to an absolute minimum, rocking through 10 tracks without making you reach for the skip button. (TOOTH & NAIL) Kevin Wade