When it was asked if anyone wanted to review something that was somewhat commercial pop-punk, I jumped right on. Unfortunately, Safety Word Orange was not quite what I had in mind.

The quintet from Richmond, VA is a little too polished and a little generic for my taste. The five-song EP, Acceptance, is bubblegum pop whose flavor runs out quick (kind of like Lucky Stripe gum, but not as tasty).

I'm going to have to go ahead and disagree with Absolutepunk.net naming them "one of the best unsigned bands in the country." However, depending on your perspective, that should help paint a picture of what their general sound is. I hate to say it, but one of the initial thoughts that I had when listening to Acceptance is that not only is it generic, but it also sounds disingenuous. Kind of like one day they were just like "Let's be rock stars."

Acceptance was produced by Bryan Russell (Straylight Run, Envy on the Coast, The Narrative) and I can see how they could possibly get commercial success and they might even do it. I think the problem at this point is, they're far too generic sounding for any reputable indie label to sign them and likely don't have the metrics for a major to sign them. So unless some of the big boys want to take a chance on them they're likely going to stay in this weird limbo.

If you're interested, you can check out Acceptance on their Facebook page here.