The Airport 77s - Don't Let Go (2025) Hi-Res

On Don’t Let Go, the Airport 77s plug into their power pop roots and blow past them, delivering a hook-laden, heart-on-sleeve album that’s as punchy as it is unexpectedly poignant.

Don’t be fooled by the name - the Airport 77s aren’t here to serve you peanuts and direct you to the nearest exit. They’re here to punch a hole in your heart with power pop hooks and carry-ons full of emotion. On Don’t Let Go, their third release and boldest yet, the Washington, D.C. trio takes off from familiar terrain and cruises into unexpected airspace.

Still armed with the tight harmonies, chunky guitars, and no-nonsense melodies that made them a regional favorite, the Airport 77s - guitarist Andy Sullivan, drummer John Kelly, and newly onboarded bassist Cal Everett - have widened their sound and deepened their emotional range. Everett, known for his work in ‘80s D.C. cult heroes 4 Out of 5 Doctors, brings a melodic low end worthy of a McCartney comparison, and it's no exaggeration. His basslines add nuance and weight to an already punchy set of songs.

There's still plenty of jet-fueled propulsion here - the band's signature eighth-note chug powers “Like Falling in Love,” which marries robotic rhythms to starry-eyed sentiment. “1999 (Take Me Back)” and “Anyone But You” aim straight for the arena, full-throated odes to AM-radio heartbreak that manage to feel both nostalgic and urgent. Then there’s “Make ‘Em Pay (Don’t Make It Easy),” a slow-burn outlaw lament that nods to the storytelling traditions of Robert Earl Keen and Townes Van Zandt, but filtered through a power-pop lens. As Sullivan puts it, the album’s title track “looks at Prince’s party anthem from today’s perspective.” It’s reflective, a little wistful, but still turns the volume all the way up."

Sullivan and Kelly have been crafting hook-heavy gems since their 2021 EP Rotation and its 2022 follow-up We Realize You Have a Choice on JEM Records, but this time around, they’re taking bigger swings. The lyrics dig deeper, the arrangements stretch further, and the vibe feels like a mixtape you made for your cool older cousin who introduced you to the Knack, Rick Springfield, and a few glam records you still spin in secret.