Forever the Sickest Kids

FTSK's debut full-length would be almost too cute and nice if it weren't for the six-piece band's reliance on excellently recorded guitars. Every song on Underdog Alma Mater is a study in too-clever catchiness and jokey asides that somewhat dilute the heartsick messages, but when the guitars come crashing in (and they always do), they land with a crunch and all is forgiven. With this many anthemic choruses ideal for crowd surfing in your Pumas, FTSK come on like some kind of heir apparent to Blink-182's one-time Warped Tour dominance.