I may be biased by my high school connection, but I still think they’re great.  Listen to their debut album, and you’ll find yourself humming a happy tune. In fact, just try getting their new single “Fall Right Now” out of your head after you’ve heard it…come on, I dare you.

They produce those songs that annoyingly get stuck in your head (but in a good way), that you find yourself singing down the hall with a smile on your face for no apparent reason. They are the songs you blast with the windows down while cruising down Lake Shore on the first 70 degree spring day on your way to the Cubs game. Yup, that’s them.

Their catchy hooks may be mistaken for pop candy, but listen more closely and you’ll find there are equal parts of sweetness, wit and truth. Throw in the fresh face factor, Midwestern work ethic, and genuine love for what they do, and you get a pop-rock group that is neither over-produced nor underwhelming. What they are is genuine.

They write about what they know: growing up and staying young; love and heartache; family and even politics. They’ve known each other for years, and it shows. Their music is accessible, fun-but still poignant and lyrical.

They are the younger answer to Jason Mraz’s wordplay. They are the Barenaked Ladies without the substance abuse problem. They are best friends and lovers. They are a humble pop-rock group that makes fun of them selves before anyone else can. They are Josh and the Empty Pockets.

Album drops Tuesday, April 21.

See an interview here.

I don’t know why everyone is up in arms about Katy Perry. I was curious (haha) and had heard that snappy little tune “I Kissed a Girl”, and thought the lyrics were, ok, one-dimensional, but it has a great beat and a catchy refrain. So I checked out her debut album. It’s great, well as great as any pop album these days can be, but still…The way I judge the music is if I like 2-4 songs more than the “hit” single, they are pretty good in my book. And with Perry, I believe she’s found a niche in the post-apopcalyptic society we have bitterly become (yes, I was that Britney/Christina/boyband pop princess back in the POP glory days).

See songs like “Mannequin” where she describes a boyfriend who’s heart she can’t find and is “not a man, just a mannequin” and also both her ballads, “Lost” (“My mother says I should come back home/but can’t find the way ’cause the way is gone”) and “Thinking of You” (“’cause when I’m with him/I’m thinking of you”)… cause really, haven’t we all been there??

Ok, so she’s got “controversial” songs like “Ur so Gay”…and you don’t even like boys…and “I Kissed a Girl” (why is this SO controversial in these times? She didn’t say she married or slept with the girl, all she did was kiss her!!!). But even with those shock-value songs, there is substance underneath…and luckily, they come with a catchy-80’s pop vibe throughout.

So get over yourself and listen for yourself. You might be pleasantly surprised.