If punk music is all about swagger and attitude and pop music is about infectiousness and fun, then Merit Maker is perfectly placed on the musical Venn Diagram where those two genres intersect—a deft blend of melody and muscle, punk power and pop poise.
Sure, we have heard it’s like before, but music doesn’t have to be about breaking new ground or exploring new sonic pastures. Usually, it is at its best when it blends familiarity with freshness, takes the building blocks of what has gone before, and seems to put them together better and bolder than anyone has in a long time. And that is exactly what is happening on Pick Ups and Put Downs.
There are anthemic, fist-in-the-air groovers such as “Sparks Ignite”, choppy, staccato punk-tattoos with “Look Back”, and furious headlong charges courtesy of “Falling Out”. It is fun and frantic, incendiary and infectious. Pop? Sort of. Punk? Without a doubt!
And while you could level an argument that it may be, quite purposefully, reinventing the sonic wheel, at least Merit Maker has been smart enough to add some tasteful white walls and burnt that rubber until the street is full of smoke, they have woken up the neighbors and then roared off down the road leaving a trail of toxic fumes, empty beer cans, and rubber track marks on the tarmac as they head into the sunset.
And that’s how you leave a lasting impression.
