Nashville's The Excuses are playing a really exuberant brand of punk-inflected rock music with a lean in the direction of power pop. It's got a strong backbeat and a well-defined sense of melody. Playing "spot the influences" isn't a bad way to explore this record and will yield comparisons as diverse as, say, Fountains of Wayne ("Ashley Changed Her Name to Brooklyn") and Foo Fighters (several intros, most notably "Has Anybody Ever Loved You Like That"), with the common elements being sing-along-worthy choruses and strong support from the rhythm sections.
The Excuses are Jeff Skorik on guitar and lead vocals, Pat Meusel on bass and backup vocals and Chris Minnis on drums.
They all do a good job - the guitars are turned up, the vocals are loud and snarly like good rock music, and the bass provides solid support - but to my ears, Minnis' backbeat is the key to making these songs really stand out.
You can give a listen at their Bandcamp page:
Where you can also buy the record, either digital, physical or both.
I look forward to hearing more from these guys.
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