I stumbled onto Every Avenue, a semi-local band from Marysville, Michigan, when they performed right here at Central Michigan University for MAINstage in August 2008. They had a fast-paced, fun set that made me want to hear more. They released their second album Picture Perfect this past Tuesday. Every Avenue has defied the odds and produced another rocking hook-filled album, avoiding that dreaded “sophomore slump”.

The pop-punk genre is not really something you listen to for deep words. Songs about girls, sex and growing up are plentiful, but you probably won’t hear about ethical issues and current events.

Every Avenue follows this pattern, but with a twist.

There are lots of that same material: songs about girls who are sluts (“Girl Like That”), girls that hurt you (“I Forgive You”), girls who got away (“Clumsy Little Heart”) and memories (“For Always, Forever”).

However, Every Avenue writes in such a way though, that the listener actually feels like they share that memory. They use heavy detail instead of the cliched pop phrases, all the while managing not to get too specific to discount portions of their audience.

One song that really stuck out to me was “For Always, Forever” which talks specifically about growing up in Michigan, going so far as to mention street names. General audiences will still be able to relate to the general emotions, but, to be trite, the song makes me feel like they understand me perfectly. With the current situation in Michigan, being a graduation-bound college student, I do have a lot of worries about getting out of here and having to move away from everything and everyone I know to have a career. This song is just hopeful, with a rock beat.

Guess we made it this far/ Guess we’re doing alright/ Looks like we made it out alive/ Yeah we made our mistakes/ But we followed our hearts/ Even though some time has passed and we’ve gone our separate ways/ No matter how far apart we’ll always have our memories

Overall, I give Picture Perfect a 7 out of 10. Every Avenue does occasionally succumb to those well-worn pop synth beats and trite words, but they still stand out as one of the best new-comers in the genre. Especially growing up in Michigan, I can safely recommend this album to all my friends.

Photo by Amanda Derosa

By Megan Townsend