Drive-Thru Records have stumbled upon a great find in Hellogoodbye. The band is original as they come in today’s jaded music world. But, the fact that the band has so much fun doing what they do sets them even further apart. Hellogoodbye’s full length debut “Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs!” is as catchy as they come. The band mixes in a lot of varieties of music together to create their unique sound. If you have to label the band and its sound it has to be described as synth driven pop-punk. The song writing is impeccable as the heartfelt lyrics and passion displayed in the lyrics and in their delivery is refreshing. Songs like “Here (In Your Arms)” and “All Time Lows” the best songs on the record, the first one is already the lead off single. These songs will give the listeners a good introduction to the band.

With that all said I have to gripe a little bit about the record. Hellogoodbye have always sounded better a bit more stripped down as they did on their self-titled EP on Drive-Thru Records. It just seem that they fall victim to what is happening to ever good band in music today, take a great band and get a producer to ruin an already great sound. As clear as the record sounds there are way too many moments in which the record sounds over produced. There are too many unnecessary vocal effects used which distract from the vocals and at some point make them hard to understand. It also seems as if the production focuses too much on the keyboards and not enough on the other elements on the band. Keyboards are a key for a band like Hellogoodbye but have to be used a bit more sparingly so they have the desired effect when they are used.

Despite all the flaws in the record production wise, Hellogoodbye have created an essential end of summer album which is fun, witty and a bit crazy. So wherever you are at the end of the summer, be it California or Florida, this seems to be the record you will be playing in your convertible with the top down.

Rating: 4/5