The most notable thing about this release is how tepid, unpolished and unsure the boys are here. Mark Hoppus takes lead vocal duties on the majority of the tracks, and his voice is seemingly always flat. Tom DeLonge's vocals are a higher pitch than they would be for the rest of Blink's career, but his voice is the most unique thing about these songs. "Carousel" sticks out for its long intro, and "Romeo and Rebecca" similarly employs a slow build before the same old girls-are-stupid-but-I-want-a-girlfriend dichotomy. The production is somewhat muddy, which makes this mildly interesting compared to the ultra-sleek (by punk standards) recordings starting with Dude Ranch. They don't quite have the "humor" thing down yet, either. I know I rag on them for being immature and populating their albums with fart and incest jokes, but it is something that sets them apart from other self-pitying pop-punk. A forgettable album for anyone but the most hardcore.
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