Flying Penguin – Orange CD (Hicktown Records)

Recently, a brand new release from Hicktown Records arrived at Thoughts Words Action headquarters. If you paid close attention, Hicktown Records are versatile as much as possible. Their rosters span from indie and alternative rock over hip hop to punk rock and metal, but you may stumble on some surprises in between as well. The best thing about their releases is that majority of them sound flawless. Orange by Flying Penguin is one of their most recent recordings. Still, keep an eye on their website because their team continuously works on the new titles worth your utmost attention. Flying Penguin is not a stranger to these pages. I had a chance to listen to a couple of their tunes before, and these guys are fully aware of their capabilities. Both songs I have listened to so far are up to the highest standards in contemporary pop-punk music, so if you’re into this type of sound, Flying Penguin is worth checking out.

Orange is a second full-length by this German pop-punk quartet that contains twelve thoughtfully assembled numbers. The group previously released several recordings, such as Euphoria EP, a debut full-length album named Liberty, and a couple of singles like What We Want and State On Fire. Actually, these singles served as an overture to the Orange, heavily promoted over social media. Flying Penguin nails Californian pop-punk sound better than most bands that roam the modern melodic punk rock scene. You may hear how the group continuously levitates between the early nineties and contemporary pop-punk. Perhaps the similarities with greats, such as Green Day, are vividly hearable throughout the entire album, but you can compare some of their tunes with other renowned groups like Simple Plan, Blink 182, New Found Glory, and Sum 41. Still, it seems that Flying Penguin mixed up some other genres to achieve a slightly different type of sound.

There are a couple of more ingredients lurking around in this comprehensive collection of ear-appealing songs. You’ll stumble upon elements of power pop, indie rock, alternative rock, and alternative pop that unquestionably enhanced these tunes. Flying Penguin thoughtfully assembled and applied each riff, chord, melody, harmony, accentuation, and beat during the songwriting/composing process so these compositions could sound slightly different than those presented by some other groups out there. A significant fact about Orange is flawlessly executed mixing, production, and mastering. Flying Penguin are not sounding overproduced like most of the contemporary pop-punk bands, so you’ll hear each articulation and chant provided by the group. Therefore, you have more than enough reasons to pick this album and give it a chance because these guys undoubtfully deserve your attention if you’re into thoughtfully assembled pop-punk music. Orange comes on a compact disc, but it is also available on all streaming platforms. Head over to Hicktown Records for more detailed information about the ordering.