Partly Cloudy- Arm Your Weapons

ARTIST: Partly Cloudy
ALBUM: Arm Your Weapons
LABEL: Self-released
REVIEWER: Matthew J.
DATE: 4-28-08 

On their latest EP, Kentucky's Partly Cloudy combine the catchy hooks and sing-along choruses of pop punk with the aggression of melodic hardcore acts like Rise Against. The best thing about this band's music is its infectiousness; despite vocals that alternate between singing and shouting, the guitars and scream-along vocals of "All You Need" and the backing shouts of "Whoah, oh oh" on "To the Gods" are punk rock perfection. They're the kind of songs that you sing along to at shows, even if this is the first time you've ever heard of the band. There's more to Partly Cloudy than catchy hooks, though, and the wah-wah-drenched guitars on "But to Me It's Everything" even manage to bring in a hint of bluesy hard rock without losing any of the punk attitude. Title track "Arm Your Weapons," on the other hand, is slower and more dramatic, with the same mournful intensity as present-day Bad Religion. With only five short songs, this EP could easily be twice as long without wearing out its welcome; it's got all the accessibility and enthusiasm of groups like Green Day or Sum 41 without any of the low-brow idiocy that so endears most pop punk groups to grade school kids. Pick this up if you like your punk rock catchy, but not stupid.

Partly Cloudy rocks; their website even says so! Visit the band online at www.partlycloudyrocks.com.