Title Fight plays speedy, emotional pop-punk seemingly influenced by early Fairweather and Saves the Day. Their Kingston 7" is an admirable display of musical prowess, involving chugging guitars, solid energy and a sincere yelp. So there isn't much to rail Title Fight with regarding their songwriting skills, but boy, most of the time Kingston comes off nearly identical to the west coast's First to Leave.

Why Title Fight is getting a pass for sounding so similar to a band that's already not that original themselves is due solely to their chops. None of the three songs on Kingston play straightforward all the way through. Instead, there's a clear willingness to change up the tempo every so often, offering mid-song dynamics and moments of restraint. When a more gravelly and forceful vocal approach kicks into "Loud and Clear," the band just sounds on -- even if it sounds like First to Leave's singer is making a guest appearance.

By coincidence or not, the immediate similarities on Kingston bring it down just a bit. But the quality of these three songs is well enough to push it into positive territory. Now let's see the band mix it up a bit more for the next release.

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Loud and Clear