By Frankie Farrar-Helm/entertainment editor
Fans of boy bands who sound like they haven’t passed puberty yet may find Runner Runner’s debut album up to par.
It’s OK for bands to sound like a group of 16-year-olds — but not when they’re 30.
Runner Runner, released Feb. 15, can best be described as another bubble gum-pop album, mimicking the sounds of The Jonas Brothers and Hellogoodbye.
After several unsuccessful emo-pop side projects, Runner Runner formed in 2008. The Southern California-based group consists of Ryan Ogren (lead vocals), Peter Munters (vocals, guitar), Jon Berry (vocals, bass), Nick Bailey (vocals, guitar) and James Ulrich (drums).
Runner Runner is full of cute, cuddly love songs with bouncy yet unoriginal hooks that create a High School Musical essence. Instead of finding the next all-American boy band like the Backstreet Boys, listeners find five middle-aged, metrosexual guys dressed for a Disney commercial.
Teenage girls across the country will eat this stuff up — but will adults?
Focusing on the music, and not Runner Runner’s image, the band has the capability to hold a tune while playing their instruments. This isn’t something that will blow listeners away, but if the common pop music boy band look is what Runner Runner is going for, this separates it from the rest.
The album is packed with uppity, cheerful dance tunes that cause listeners to smile and fist-pump their way through the songs, which nobody can go wrong with.
However, lyrics like “It’s obvious that my heart beats for you,” “I’m falling faster all the time” and “I wanna run into your arms” create an and-they-lived-happily-ever-after atmosphere that grown-ups just can’t take seriously.
This frequent mainstream act will bring many fans for Runner Runner, but the demographic is more likely limited.
