HATE (I REALLY DON’T LIKE YOU) - PLAIN WHITE T’S
Warped tour regulars Plain White T’s align themselves with emo hitmakers and their imitators, but what almost sets these newcomers apart is their breezy, vintage-style group vocals that reach back to the Beach Boys. The band, whose name must be a tribute to Dashboard Confessional’s Chris Carrabba, isn’t enormously inventive but displays a seductively firm grip on melody. Produced by emo guru Neal Avron (Fall Out Boy, Yellowcard), “Hate” is a guitar-driven, teenage-friendly love/hate drama that is ridicuously catchy and conjures a backdrop of cell phones and low-tops, secret MySpace dates and first emotional breakdowns. Indeed, these guys gush hooks and harmonies; now they just have to give us a little more personality and show us that they can transcend the formula. Billboard
