Sometimes I find out about new bands from the most unlikely places.

While searching through videos for BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME on YouTube, I saw a comment that said something along the lines of “These guys rock! Them and Red Car Wire are the best pop-punk bands out there!” Of course I un-emo’ed the version I just typed, so the normal version was probably:

“OMG these guys rawwwwwk!!! I luv Red Car Wire 2! They are so hawtt! <3<3<3″.

I know that you know exactly what I mean. We’ve all seen those kind of comments from 13 year old girls on YouTube (and if you aren’t 13…then shame on you).

Regardless of whether a certain 7th grader is going to need to repeat English class in the fall, I figured I would give Red Car Wire a look. Another YouTube search found me the video for “Timing Just Isn’t Your Thing”, and from there I was hooked.

I wrote before that I didn’t understand how BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME did not break into the mainstream. I still stand by that opinion, but I double it’s intensity for these guys. They will be on several (and by that I mean like 6) dates for Warped Tour this year, but I feel like they should definitely be more engrained in the lineup than that.

Similar to Alt-rockers GREEN RIVER ORDINANCE, Red Car Wire formed in the Dallas, Texas, area. They locked down a spot on the Vans Warped Tour in 2007, and two EP’s followed: Red Car Wire in 2007 and Let’s Never Get Older in October of 2008.

“Timing Just Isn’t Your Thing” is the first track on Let’s Never Get Older, and it grabs you by the throat from the opening riffs and never lets go. It’s one of those songs where you listen to it, find it catchy. Listen to it again, and this time pay attention to the lyrics. By the third time through, you have all the pieces in place and from that point on…the song is stuck on repeat. As I write this post, the chorus is still playing in my head.

As any fan of this genre already knows, at this point the best way to stand out in the scene is to have the biggest riffs and catchiest choruses. These guys seem to have a good grasp on this strategy.

“So Far”, the second track on the EP, is another one that will get stuck in your head for all the same reasons “Timing Just Isn’t Your Thing” did. “Friends” talks about someone who has turned their back on you but you will still always be there for them. “Kids in Love” is – I think – another song that has been released. The title pretty much says it all there. “Affinity”, which is very ballad-esque, switches it up for a brief moment before the song “Rachel Leigh Cook” picks back up the tempo and rounds out the disc.

Since the release of Let’s Never Get Older, the guitarist (Garett Bouline) and bassist (Davey Hoogerwerf) have left the band to start Freshman 15 – another band I plan on covering, so stay tuned for that!

As a final note, “Timing Just Isn’t Your Thing” has officially become my new kiss-off song to every girl in my past….here’s to you, ladies.

Click the artwork below to purchase songs/albums from iTunes:

Let’s Never Get Older EP

From the Start EP

Or, if you prefer to shop at Amazon, check out their discography in CD and MP3 format: Red Car Wire

Here is the best song off Let’s Never Get Older, “Timing Just Isn’t Your Thing” (There are probably three or four versions of the music video on YouTube but all of the owners disabled embedding so this is all I could get – search YouTube if you want to see the official video):

All photos, music, and videos copyright of their respective owners. Used only for promotional purposes and to gain notoriety for the artists featured.

06122009