Style: Glistening emo pop; compare to Plain White T's, The Starting Line
Top tracks: "Of Men and Angels," "Let You Go," "Walls"
The Rocket Summer is one of the few bands finding fans in the secular market without hiding their Christian beliefs, a rare feat in this oversaturated musical landscape. The reasons for this crossover success glare out right from the start of their latest album: Bryce Avary's earworm melodies and music that whips up a delicate frenzy of '70s pop and lissome guitar rock. As well, Avary plays to both sides of his fan base with emotional anthems of alienation rubbing up against chest-beating pleas for redemption. It runs on a little long and pushes both lyrical themes a little too hard at times, but when it locks in, it soars.