[Complete disclosure: Punknews.org staffer Mike French plays in In Between. But we've never met, and he's the kind of handsome jerk who wouldn't even brag to me about putting out a 7" on one of my favorite new-ish labels.]

Get beyond the generic name, and you'll find a solid pop-punk band in the vein of early Crime in Stereo and Lifetime. In Between delivers lots of bangin' for the bucks with the So Steady 7", a five-song affair that'll set you back $5 online (That's a dollar a song! Talk about a deal in stereo!). I know I come with a bias, but this EP is mighty fine.

"The Yard" opens the record, but it's so brief. "Claim" is the real introduction, and the song captures that '90s midpoint between hardcore and emo. It's melodic but ever so slightly dour, and something that's proven hard to maintain with many bands.

If the 7" has any flaws, it's in the band's cleaner parts. In Between is a fitting name for the group since they split the difference between certain punk subgenres, but sometimes I wonder if one of them is easycore. However, I can't fault the band for writing big danceable breaks and hummable guitar parts.

That aside, So Steady is yet another strong release from Toxic Pop, who split the release with Photobooth Records. While the set goes by quickly, it's hopefully a sign of more to come.