For someone with just little affinity with punk rock music, ‘Wires In The Walls’ by the US The North Atlantic comes as a quite a surprise. Foremost because of the clever melodies that more than often lack in this genre, but also because of the pleasant and pretty accessible sound. The clear, raging guitars, the accurate mix and the drunken vocals (excellent lyrics) all add up, resulting in an energetic and very diverse whole. What makes this band extraordinary are vocals by Jason Hendrix, who combines various melodies, atmospheres and tones within the different tracks (he reminds slightly of Robert Smith of British punkers The Cure, as does the music).

It’s just because of this, that the songs on ‘Wires In The Walls’ stand out and remain interesting no matter how often you listen to them.

The album has been previously released in 2003, after which the band splint up. The huge success of the album in the underground scene made the members reconsider their decision to split up. They eventually regrouped: a wise decision in my opinion, because The North Atlantic has got what it takes to gain international success. ‘Wires In The Walls’ is a surprisingly good album with great potential.