Album Reviews

Half Past Two has written the next chapter in their book with ‘Talk Is Killing Me,’ their first release for the Bad Time Records family. Mixing ska punk with pop-punk in the most accessible of ways is what this band does and while this normally isn’t my bag, there’s no denying that Half Past Two do a solid job.

Opening track ‘Barrier For Entry’ kicks off this half hour of ear candy with nothing but energy, juicy hooks you can sink your teeth in, tasty slabs of horns and Tara Hahn’s powerful yet poppy vocals. ‘Dominoes’ takes their pop sensibilities to the next level, easily living up to The Interrupters’ best material. From there on, they keep on going back and forth between more ska-tinged tunes and straight up pop-punk tunes with the occasional sidestep into reggae (‘I Don’t Dream Anymore’) or the stripped down ‘Our Playlist,’ which comes with guest vocals by Reel Big Fish’s Scott Klopfenstein.

If you like ska and extremely glossy, poppy tunes, ‘Talk Is Killing Me’ is definitely worth checking out.

Talk Is Killing Me track listing:

1. Barrier For Entry    
2. Lie To You    
3. Dominoes    
4. In My Head    
5. Curse The Universe    
6. I Don't Dream Anymore    
7. Talk Is Killing Me    
8. Give and Take    
9. Our Playlist (feat. Scott Klopfenstein)    
10. Never Saw Me    
11. Isolated Days    
12. Out Of Time