High Tension Wires

Supergroups are the best. Obviously. True, some don’t always live up to their hype (see T4 Project, Black President and whatever monstrosity the Bad Religion / Limp Bizkit / Korn / Faith No More collab will eventually become) but the proven talent that comes with bringing together established musicians often yields the greatness one would expect. Such is the case for the High Tension Wires.

Composed of Marked Men, Riverboat Gamblers and Reds, the High Tension Wires play a sugary but gritty blend of garage punk, power-pop and pop-punk much like, well, Marked Men, Riverboat Gamblers and the Reds.

Midnight Cashier is a punk rock dance party and a half. Laden with catchy guitar riffs and enough hooks to tow the Spanish Armada, the hip-shaking tunes stretch through 11 songs in just 22 minutes that flow seamlessly without being drowned in homogeny. Infectious numbers like “Can’t Focus” and “Old Enough to Be Home Alone” have a snotty juvenile appeal that’s somehow kissed with a hint of sincerity. The disc’s lead track “Hibernate” busts out a round of verses that are even catchier than its chorus before outro-ing with the repeated declaration “I won’t get out of my bedroom!” “Tokyo Is Burning Down” is one of the more aggressive cuts on Midnight Cashier, but doesn’t sacrifice anything in terms of pop-appeal, while “Not Enough for Me” is layered with the same harmonious background “oooh"s as Fugazi’s “Full Disclosure.”

Without a single dud on the whole disc, Midnight Cashier proves High Tension Wires are a band that can live up to their preceded reputation.