Everything felt easier in 2015. Although they came of age a fair while later, San Diego newcomers Super Sometimes’ debut could have been a time capsule from that era, a treasure trove of the sort of organic, dyed-in-the-wool pop-punk that’s far rarer now than it used to be. In that sense, something about the youthful energy to their music, with a sunny attitude like a postcard from their native West Coast, feels comforting in its familiarity. Novelty and innovation are secondary, perhaps to a fault.

Though they’re only freshly into adulthood, the San Diego trio are clearly schooled in the art of songwriting. They’re front-flipping off the influence of the traditional turn-of-the-century punk godfathers (your New Found Glorys, your blink-182’s) as well as mid-2010s torchbearers like State Champs. In fact, woven within the agile riffs of opener Afterthought are lyrics torn from the Derek DiScanio playbook. ‘Built you up but you left me guarded / Break it down, finish what you started’. The choppier Make Up Stories is in a similar vein of coming-of-age interpersonal angst with a smattering of chess metaphors, while Learned My Lesson is a breezy, light-on-its-feet ode to growing up and making mistakes.

Given they sound so close to their heroes, not least because co-vocalist Dylan Guzman happens to sound uncannily like Mark Hoppus, it’s unsurprising that their strongest moments are the most outlying tracks. Always You lightly leans on a slightly more digital sound with a huge, coiled-spring chorus, while Common Place summons the strings and an acoustic guitar for an endearing look back at an adolescence spent ‘drinking in your basement… trading playlists, smoking on the pavements’. There’s an excellent mic-drop of a final line too at the end of punchy closer Prophet, ‘And all respect I had for you / You fucking lost it.’

Hopefully, these are the building blocks of a future where they continue writing huge, catchy tunes, but with a greater identity of their own. For the moment, however, Super Sometimes are off to a solid start.

Verdict: 3/5

For fans of: State Champs, Knuckle Puck, Blink-182

Show The World What’s Underneath is released on May 15 via Pure Noise.

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