Influenced by everyone from Earth, Wind & Fire, Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston to The Misfits, The Casualties and Jimi Hendrix, Utah four-piece The Aces' debut EP I Don't Like Being Honest is poppy, punchy and all kinds of pleasant.
Drummer Alisa Ramirez describes the EP as "like kind of almost a coming of age movie", which seems apt for the post adolescence pop tunes they present. They start off with Stuck, a Katy-Perry-with-rougher-edges type ditty that has some of the catchiest riffs you'll hear in a while. Physical focuses on frontwoman Cristal Ramirez's vocals before launching into slinky guitars and full sounding harmonies. They pull back slightly on Baby Who but lose none of their punch, especially with lines like "You want me back but I don't want you back." This is sure to become the angsty girl, break-up song of the year. Touch is a strong close and retains all the best elements of the previous tracks.
I Don't Like Being Honest is sincere and endearing — chances are you'll listen to it once and be ready for an immediate round two.
