Defend Pop Punk. This is the motto of New Jersey band Man Overboard; a young, energetic pop-punk 5-piece that goes above and beyond the sell-out commercialised garbage that has become associated with this constantly-critiqued genre. The Human Highlight Reel, which the band describes as “EPs, B​-​Sides and Other Songs,” is a compilation of the hard work that has forced Man Overboard onto the scene and into your ears.

The Human Highlight Reel opens with two new tracks. “Driveway” and “Melanie, Video Games, and a Slight Fear of Flying” build upon debut album Real Talk and give fans full faith that Man Overboard don’t plan on diverting from the style that has won over a loyal fan base as they hit the studio this summer to record their sophomore release, The Absolute Worst. Catchy choruses link upbeat, fast-paced verses that would put a smile on the face of the most suspicious listener. Further, the vocal harmonies on “Melanie” give Man Overboard the stamp of pop-punk approval immediately.

Highlights of the sixteen-track collection include “5 Girls Pizza,” a bouncy number that conjures images of spiked hair, skateboarding and Sum 41. “Love Your Friends, Die Laughing”, an acoustic-turn-electric anthem, represents the more epic side of MOB’s sound – tinny power-chords break into crashing gang vocals. Man Overboard truly do their original justice, and “Love Your Friends” is a real tribute to camaraderie. Similarly, the track which follows, “Again,” illustrates Man Overboard’s talent at writing darker pop-punk songs that maintain sing-a-long lyrics but layer these over an ominous melody.

Nowadays it is rare to see a band that produces relatively simple pop-punk music that isn’t the best looking, best dressed, and most manufactured boy band a record label can find. Man Overboard are hardly any of these things—when you’re up against the abs of All Time Low, you don’t stand much of a chance—but the integrity of their songs is more refreshing than anything the genre has seen of late and—rightly so—the centrepiece of their appeal.

Four Year Strong, The Wonder Years, Fireworks: these are the names of some of the bands that are reviving pop-punk. Now you can add Man Overboard and The Human Highlight Reel to that list, which suggests that pop punk definitely is not dead.

****/*****

*This review was composed by Ramsey Marwan