Richmond, Virginia’s Hold Tight! play speedy, straight-up punk with a good dose of melody. This might not be the most popular of sounds these days, but their latest EP release, I Always Leave But Never Say Goodbye, presents six songs that satisfy exactly what I’m looking for in modern punk rock.

The boys get things going with “Why Change Now,” a solid opener that sets the pace with nods to Dillinger Four. “I Know” and “Waterlogged” follow in similar fashion with great sing-a-long choruses and memorable breakdowns. Whereas I found some of their previous releases to sound a little thin in the mix, everything is big and beefy this time around with crunchy guitar riffs and bright cymbal crashes. “Stumble” features a deep, bouncing bass line and tricky guitar lick. My favorite song on the release, “Reacting”, has a snare-roll build up towards the end of the tune that makes me hit repeat. The lyrical content focuses on day-to-day life which I find suits the band’s approach; their sound isn’t quite nasty enough for darker lyrics, but not poppy enough for joking around. Closing this collection out is the title track which starts off a bit too mid-tempo for my own tastes, but isn’t necessarily out of place here and acts as sort of a slow-burner to bring things to an end.

I Always Leave But Never Say Goodbye is a worthwhile listen for anyone keeping up with no-nonsense punk rock. Hold Tight! bring it.

You can listen to the EP here.