For some reason my week has been all about Evan Weiss. I caught Their/They’re/There and Into It. Over It in concert last Friday. Then I reviewed The Jazz June split; whose soon to be released album was produced by Weiss. And now I’m reviewing the latest offering from an-ex band member; Eric McNelis’ Sleep In.

The album starts strongly with ‘I Do Know and I’m Not Sorry’. It’s a great pop punk song, and is incredibly catchy. It’s reminiscent of The Draft crossed with Tellison, and really kick-starts the album.

However, after a promising start, the next few tracks fail to make the cut. Despite a few promising parts, the songs are fairly anonymous. There are some highlights, but they are few and far between, and the album really passes you by. Most of these songs are more indie than punk, and compared to similar acts like This Town Needs Guns and Everyone Everywhere, they fall incredibly short.

Although, the final two songs do pull you back in – ‘Starting Over’ and title track ‘Settling’. Both of these songs are a return to the pop punk that Sleep In do really well. Overall, the album is a bit disappointing – mostly because it teases so much. I find it hard to say I dislike it, but I don’t have strong positive feelings for it either. If you’re a fan of Everyone Everywhere particularly, I’d say give it a listen, but don’t expect to have your mind blown.

– Alex Ryan