From Joliet, IL, Witroy follows in the tradition of Chicagoland teen-heartthrob pop punk/power pop bands trying to hit it big. Fall Out Boy, Spitalfield, Lucky Boy’s Confusion, The Dog And Everything, August Premier, Split Habit and The Plain White T’s come to mind first as the most successful the city has to offer as of late. Besides being fans of The Dog And Everything, Witroy appears to have a svengali in Jim Dietzen, guitarist of that group.

Formed in 2001, Witroy isn’t the most prolific of bands, seeming to have only produced five songs in three years. They released a three-song EP in 2002 and now this three-song EP in 2004, with one song that is rerecorded from the first. This disc is not even nine minutes of music. The three songs are solid but are devoid of any kind of punk edge, leaving one with simply loud pop. It makes sense being that the closest thing to a punk band that they list as an influence are Green Day and Jimmy Eat World; they are more influenced by The Beatles, The Beach Boys, and Led Zeppelin, but there’s nothing wrong that, either.

“Fade Away” is the best track, with the strongest melody sung in an unusually low range for vocalist Craig Miller. Plus, they throw a synth solo in the bridge of the song for no real reason, but it adds to the hooks of the tune. “Meg” has an interesting verse that strips away the backbeat and brings everything down a bit to make the chorus seem more powerful in comparison. The closer is the re-worked “Paper Lantern,” which has a nice Green Day style bounce to it (á la “Minority” or “Hitchin’ A Ride”), an interesting coincidence with the title being so close to a Green Day song.

The music and songwriting here are pretty tight but pretty damn bland and forgettable at the same time. Plus, with hardly nine minutes of music to base my opinion on, I am hesitant to give a good score even if I rate it for what it is, power pop and not punk in the least. If they can produce a full-length with this consistency the entire way through, we may be on to the next Chicago sensation here. Get to work, Witroy.