In 2009, riding high from their full-length debut Underdog Alma Mater, Forever The Sickest Kids announced their plan to follow up with a string of three mini-LPs themed around “The Weekend.” But following the critical and commercial failure of The Weekend: Friday, the Texas sextet— which is now a five-piece following keyboard player Kent Garrison’s departure after the recording) have apparently changed plans midstream, releasing instead a self-titled full length that folds the electronic influences of Friday back into the more straight-forward power pop sound that won fans over on their debut.

Lead single “Keep On Bringing Me Down” erupts into a huge shout-along chorus destined to be a concert favorite. “I Guess You Can Say Things Are Getting Serious,” with its tight harmonies and hardcore-inspired chug-a-chug riffing courtesy of Caleb Turman and Marc Stewart, could pass for a poppy Set Your Goals track. The chanted prechorus of “Robots & Aliens” has earworm written all over it. And the late-album trifecta of “Same Dumb Excuse (Nothing To Lose),” “Bipolar Baby,” and “Summer Song” are three of the strongest songs the band has ever written; “Same” and “Bipolar”’s choruses are perfect pop candy, and “Summer” smacks of The Academy Is…’s Fast Times At Barrington High in all the best ways.

Occasionally it goes all kinds of wrong. The electropop trappings of “Life Of The Party” feel instantly dated, the lyrics weak, the chorus generic. And “Forever Girl” plays like a Plain White T’s ballad gone askance; when vocalist Jonathan Cook sings “you’re my forever girl // no matter what you do,” it takes an inadvertent spin into possessive creepy-stalker territory. But the real issue here isn’t that there are a couple duds; it’s easy enough to hit the skip button on your iPod. It’s that so many of remaining tracks are almost there. “King For A Day” would be a great pop song if it weren’t for the lyrical tripe masquerading as a chorus. “What Happened To Emotion? (Killing Me)” follows an all-time classic refrain with a lifeless middle eight. It’s like watching your home run hitter foul a hanging curve straight back into the screen, one after another.
 
I have no doubt that, were this 10 years ago, Forever The Sickest Kids would be taking up a long-term spot in my CD changer. As it is, over the last few years, there has been a ton of this stuff (power pop, pop-punk, emo, scene pop, whatever you feel like calling it) released, and much of it very, very good. It might be unfair, but what once would have passed for excellence is now mere competence, and for every sweet hook or memorable chorus here there’s a lyrical clunker, a half-assed melody, a bit of filler or fluff. I suspect we haven’t heard the best from Jonathan Cook and company yet; there are a couple damned near perfect songs here, just not an album’s worth. It’s time to step your game up, Kids.
 
***/*****

*This review was composed by Jesse Richman