Rufio - Anybody Out There (ALBUM REVIEW)

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Ladies and gentlemen, they just don’t make them like this anymore, or at least you will not find many making them like this. After a long break Rufio return to claim their punk/pop throne as one of the best of a genre that has become a slightly different version of what it was four to seven years ago.

As a fan of punk/pop during the Blink 182 explosion, I watched bands like New Found Glory, Slick Shoes, The Ataris, Yellowcard, etc… become huge underground and then mainstream hits. Many of those bands have hung up their guitars for now (except New Found Glory who have continuously churned out quality material). When Rufio hung up their guitars and announced they were calling it a day many fans of the pop/punk genre, including myself, saw a little piece of what was so enjoyable about that particular time in pop/punk fade away. As the years progressed new bands emerged some good, some awful, as always, some incorporated new elements. In the end most people tend to say pop/punk became a lot more pop than punk.

When I heard Rufio was going to give it another shot I wondered if the band would go on the Perhaps, I Suppose tour and announce they had hit writers block and just couldn’t finish the album. I was pleasantly surprised to hear the four-song EP the band released earlier in the year and found it a mainstay on my iPOD. With the album now finally out, it is safe to say this statement: I dare you to find another band that has made a better true to form pop/punk album this year. Original members Scott Sellers and Clarke Domae team up with the new rhythm section consisting of Taylor Albaugh and Terry Stirling Jr. and with the new line-up the band have added another fantastic album to their catalog. I honestly cannot think of the last time I heard a pop/punk album and felt this way about it. It’s that good.

Sellers vocals have been both criticized and complimented on the new album. I think he has become a better vocalist and vocally this might be my favorite Rufio album. Domae and Sellers guitar work is phenomenal on the album. It is everything you’d want and more. The guitars ring out in all the right places and the leads would make any pop/punk fan appreciative. The new rhythm section holds down their part and adds a lot to the band. The drums sound great.

Now if we can just convince Yellowcard to make another record. Tell Blink 182 actually to record their new album. Tell Kris Roe to get that Ataris album out finally. Find Ryan Kepke and convince him the Slick Shoes were terribly underrated. We can have a full-fledged comeback of the pop/punk I grew up on, which would put a smile on my face. I’m not bitter though I’m just glad I have this album. I urge Anybody Out There to buy this!