Warm Soda - I Don't Wanna Grow Up (2017)

2017 release. Within seconds of starting to listen to I Don't Wanna Grow Up, one gets the feeling of being in good hands: an AP course in power-pop, delivered by Matthew Melton, with the confidence and consistency of your favorite late night diner. Familiarity works as a curious device - this is directly in Melton's wheelhouse, no sonic surprises whatsoever, yet somehow these odes to teenage love and heartache are brand new, catchy and vital. His twists and turns utilizing the same tools are astounding in their continued freshness. That this is the final Warm Soda record (in anticipation of his new band Dream Machine's debut, also forthcoming on Castle Face Records) seems logical when you consider the way he's re-written the same vibe into four excellent records of catchy pop. A lesser talent would have given up after two records, tops - Melton's commitment to the platonic ideal of power pop again bears fruit, and perhaps this one is the best yet? Mix tape makers of the world, take note: if you leave this album out of your next amorous transmission, you're fucking up.