Hailing from New Jersey, Coming Clean is a pop punk band that has been around for about two years. They released a four-track EP, entitled Drive Safe, earlier on the year and showed signs of becoming a force to be reckoned with in the pop punk genre. “6×6” is a very fun track that really caught my attention and single-handedly made me come back to Drive Safe for repeated listens. Coming Clean’s new EP, Sing Loud, is another step in the right direction and also a much stronger release than the band’s first EP. After a fun riff on “Pen Pals” kick-starts the EP, Coming Clean keeps up the happy pop punk vibe for a few tracks. The vocals are catchy and executed well, the guitar riffs sound great and are very similar to Me Vs Hero, and the drumming is solid. The basslines are just audible enough to make a positive impact and tighten the overall sound up.
The EP as a whole is very strong, but there is only one track that does anything to remotely set itself apart from the rest of the genre. “Locked In” is a quick, one-minute-long track, but it’s the strongest on Sing Loud. The first half of the track is similar to the rest of the EP with extremely catchy vocals, but the track takes a turn for the better near the 40-second mark. Suddenly, “Locked In” is an assault of backing screams, gang vocals, and much more aggressive instrumentals – an overall sound that reminded me of Such Gold.
Although “Locked In” is the only song that is somewhat new to the genre, in my opinion, the rest of the EP is very impressive. “Pen Pals” and “Hallows’ Eve” are fairly typical to the pop punk genre, but they’re still great tracks. “Stanford Arms” is an incredible track that closes out Sing Loud perfectly with its acoustic guitars, soothing orchestral melodies, and soft singing.
As I predicted, with a little more work and time spent writing together, this five-piece has a great chance of being another modern household pop punk band like The Wonder Years, The Story So Far, or Man Overboard. Coming Clean is not necessarily breaking any ground here, but they’re doing more than enough to leave a lasting impression on their listeners, and that’s a great asset to have if you’re a band that’s trying to leave a mark in an overcrowded genre. 
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For Fans Of: Me Vs Hero, Real Friends, Like Pacific
