Man Overboard have been causing quite a fuss in the pop punk scene for the last year. Enjoying a rabid, passionate fanbase that has been called to arms by their Defend Pop Punk mantra, the band has started a movement that they have been popularizing as they relentlessly tour across America. If that weren't enough, the band holds the title of being pop punk's most prolific band by releasing 3 EPs and one 10 song compilation LP in the last 8 months. Not slowing down for one second, the Jersey boys have now brought us their debut LP Real Talk.

Real Talk drops 12 fast paced pop punk tracks recalling the sounds of Tell All Your Friends, Through Being Cool and The Blue Album. The record brings a new twist to the classic records of a genre that has been endlessly watered down. With Real Talk, Man Overboard makes a strong point that they are leading a movement to take pop punk out of its present dark age and resurrecting a corpse that has been called dead countless times.

Sometimes you can almost immediately tell where a band comes from after hearing just a few songs. Such is the case with Boston quintet Transit: The band's brand of melodic post-hardcore could only come from the upper East Coast, and on This Will Not Define Us, they shred through the speakers with a sound that's straight out of 2002. Thankfully though, it's not too derivative; apparent influences aside, this is really damn good. Transit's tunes pack a satisfying mix of catchy hooks and raw emotional grit not far removed from the likes of Crime In Stereo, or a far ballsier Taking Back Sunday circa Tell All Your Friends.

These days, people put bands together looking to cash-in on a particular "scene." They cobble together a slick MySpace page, hire an agent and a "fan"-ager and quickly develop an inflated sense-of-entitlement. And while that's one way to go about it, there is also the old-fashioned DIY model: form a band with friends in a basement, tour your butts off until your songs and stage-show have something unique and powerful to offer and build a real following.

This was the roadmap for bands like Boysetsfire and Snapcase back in the day. And this approach has meant everything for Therefore I Am, whose fiery and impassioned hard / melodic rock mix defies easy categorization. Think about the fearlessness and self-reliance of boundary-breaking bands like At The Drive In and Thrice and you'll begin to have some idea of what Therefore I Am is all about, having developed on the road and in the rehearsal room.

Delivering an aggressive and passionate statement True Things is sure to bring back listeners to times of (Perhaps I Suppose/Can't Slow Down/Say It Like You Mean It). With their roster including members from bands such as (I Call FIves, The Frontpage, Neighborhoods/Livin' It Up) it's a sure bet that you will be able to find room in your music library for them.