Artist: Hey Mike
Album: Embrace Your Hooks
Label: Takeover Records
Tracks: 5
Length: 16:24
Review by: Phil Nichols

One can tell a lot about a band by its name. Some band names almost command respect when spoken aloud: Radiohead, The Clash, The Cure. Just one or two simple words, but they demand the attention of anyone who hears them. And then, there are other bands whose names do not stir even the slightest bit of curiosity among listeners (at best these names evoke a feeling of dullness; at worst they drive potential customers to other products instead). Hey Mike! seems to fit best with the latter.

Upon hearing the name, an astute music fan will note its triteness and (if they are of sound mind) will stay clear of the album, however for those of you who are not so shrewd, perhaps I can explain what you are getting yourselves into with Embrace Your Hooks. This disc is nothing more than a rehashing of the tried-and-true pop-punk formula used heavily (and more effectively) by bands like Craig's Brother and Yellowcard. The disc is full of start-stop riffs, occasional solos, and 3-4 chord progressions. Unfortunately, there is not much more substance than that. In fact, the only "innovative" thing that Hey Mike did with this EP was mixing things up by moving the token acoustic song from the traditional position (at the end of the album) to the fourth track.

The Embrace Your Hooks EP was meant as an introduction to a somewhat new band, and it accomplishes that. However, Hey Mike seems to be doing little more than what all of the other pop-punk bands are doing. Perhaps with their upcoming full-length the band will display a little bit more creativity, but for now, when you can pick up the new Craig's Brother EP for the same price on Takeover's website there really isn't much of a reason for you to spend your hard earned cash on Embrace Your Hooks.