WakeUpCall - 'Batteries Are Not Included' Hot

An impressive debut that ticks all the right boxes for a modern pop punk album.

There are, I have found, plenty of top quality rock bands in Italy these days. Less prone to beating their chests than, say, the Germans, Italian bands seem more interested in having fun, whilst at the same time encompassing the entire scope of rock music. WakeUpCall are a bunch of young, hip things who play the sort of music that young, hip things seem to be into these days, basically a mix of pop, rock and punk that if done right is very enjoyable.

So do WakeUpCall do it right? Pretty much, I'd say. Lead track and single 'To Be' is a bit of a Bowling For Soup wannabe, but it's not like BFS have a complex magic formula - it's catchy pop music with guitars thrown in. There's a nice slower track a few in called 'Christine' which, sadly, is not about a killer car. It is a nice little track, though, which brings the softer side of Blink 182 into the mix. They've had their fair share of harsh criticism in the press (or on the internet, anyway), but there's really nothing wrong with 'Batteries Are Not Included', although in fairness it doesn't have any real killer songs that would propel the band to global status. I would praise individual members, but neither the promo material or even their own bloody website tells you who does what, so suffice to say they all do their jobs well, as does whoever produced the album.

Although they're unlikely to trouble any bestseller lists, WakeUpCall have certainly released an impressive debut here, and it ticks all the right boxes for a modern pop punk album. Plenty of melody, a handful of teenage angst (essential for the slow ones) and genuine song writing talent may see WakeUpCall getting out on the right side of the bed in future.

Alan Holloway