Atta

I Just Love To Say I Called You

Written by: PP on 22/11/2008 15:59:44

In recent times, Sweden has begun to reclaim its notion as the hotbed of punk rock in Europe, with awesome bands like Adjusted and Mike rising alongside veterans No Fun At All and Millencolin, and the latest band to pop its head up is Atta, who play a naive, innocent, unspoiled form of pop punk much in the same vein as Millencolin did on their early records, just without all the ska-influenced songs.

"I Just Love To Say I Called You" is their debut album, and like the title suggests, they aren't a very serious bunch. Lyrical topics throughout the album range from giving first aid ("CPR") and doing things under the influence of alcohol ("The! (Great New Song Of Power And Success)") to marrying a girl to get into her pants ("Access Denied") and laughing at innocent people sent into prison, and these are all delivered in a nice, enjoyable form of pop punk that isn't so concerned about what they sound like - the only thing that matters is that they're having fun. "Sunshine", one of the highlights, is a perfect-for-summer fast-paced anthem with a ridiculously catchy chorus, sure to arouse nostalgia in any fan of Millencolin's early stuff. "250 Boys Per Minute" is another passionate punk rocker where the vocalist sounds unmistakably like Millencolin, but once the instruments kick in at breakneck punk rock speed, the band begins to hint at their own sound.

For some odd reason, only a few songs on the album are as fast as the ones just mentioned. "CPR", for instance, is almost balladic, and "Access Denied" is played at roughly the same speed as Adjusted. While they're both enjoyable songs, they just aren't as fun to dance to and lack the power of fast tracks, suggesting that Atta should just consider on playing as fast as they can and let other bands (read: Hit The Lights) do the mid-paced stuff. The same trend follows through to the end of the record, with each fast song making it to my 'favorites' list from the album, and nearly every slower one come across as merely 'okay, but nothing special'.

A sharp listener will also foresee another problem with Atta and what they're doing here: it will be impossible for the band to write a sophomore album that has the same energy and youthful vibe to it as "I Just Love To Say I Called You". It's just not possible to stay innocent in this business for a long while, and even if that worked out for Millencolin for quite a few albums, they, too, matured and, as is almost always the case, became a shadow of their former self. For now, however, just enjoy Atta and "I Just Love To Say I Called You" for what they are, an innocent pop punk band that isn't afraid of having truckloads of fun both live and on record.

Download: Sunshine, 250 Boys Per Minute, Jerk
For the fans of: Adjusted, Mike, Hit The Lights, Millencolin
Listen: Myspace

Release date 04.07.2008
Toypie Records

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