Dropped Out Releases a Perfect Pop-Punk Album That Blends Influences to Create Something Great

5.0 out of 5.0 stars

I had no idea what to expect of the brand new album from Austin-based punk band, Dropped Out - titled Get Lost!. However, after the album dropped online last Friday, and I got to listen to the full 10-song LP, I was absolutely blown away.

The 3-piece band consisting of Tron Carter (Drums/vocals), Ryan Searls (Bass), and Dave Cavallo (lead vocals/guitar) really showcase the classic setup of pop-punk that I fell in love with when I first became a fan of the genre.

I immediately text my old pop-punk band from high school to tell them that the sound I was always striving for had been recreated exactly as I would have wanted it to sound (if I could have just pulled it off at that stage in my life) by Dropped Out - and I mean, they PERFECTLY encompassed the sound I always envisioned.

This is the main reason I am giving this album a perfect 5.0 star rating. It is quite literally a PERFECT pop-punk album to my ears. It’s so well blended, mixed, mastered, written and put out that I can’t imagine the band could have done anything differently to make it any better.

Their first album (self-titled LP) came out in 2015, and it was quite good, but there were definitely some issues with the mixing as you can tell it was done with a little less budget or time (or at the very least experience) put towards it. Even so, it’s still a great album that you should go check out.

They followed that album up with It’s Allgood in 2020 which definitely has better production behind it, and the songs are still quite strong as well. I recommend that album as well. I especially like the song, “The Bear Suit Song” and several others.

Now, when I say their new album is a perfect album, that basically means that anybody reading this article is going to immediately think, “No way. Never even heard of these guys. How can it be that good?” Or something like that.

Well, sure, I am heaping a ton of praise on the album (and will go into details soon). However, I am not saying it is the greatest album of all time or anything. I am simply saying that IN MY OPINION, it is a completely perfect album full of songs that I could listen to over and over again and there are no bad songs or even any moments where I get bored or lose focus on the album.

So, all I ask of you is to keep an open mind and don’t go in thinking this album will blow you away like Green Day or Blink 182, but rather like a shockingly good independent band would do having first heard them without knowing how good a band could be that you probably haven’t heard of before. 

The album kicks off with the song “I’m Still Alive.” This song really reminds me of the doo-wop singers of the 1950’s put into punk rock (think something like "Earth Angel (Will You Be Mine)" by The Penguins). It’s so goddamn smooth sounding, and the lyrics are referring to being left behind in a relationship.

The line, “Just because you’re gone, doesn’t mean I have to die,” sums it up pretty well. It’s a great fucking line, and a great song.

The next song on the album is “Fingers Crossed” which was the lead single from the album with an accompanying video. I think it is probably my favorite song on the album, but it really is hard to choose a favorite on this album.

This song is a lot more personal and serious as it refers to a deadbeat dad not caring about his kids and how the kids don’t want to be around him, but due to court order or for whatever other reasons, they are forced to interact and be around each other even though it is a waste of each other’s time. 

It’s heartbreaking. It’s vengeful. It’s full of spite and hate. But it’s exactly what a son would feel when a parent just doesn’t care. I can’t imagine how a parent can’t love their kid, but this song does a great job of showing how it happens and how a child would respond.

“I’d Rather Not Say” is the third song on the album, and it is a song about one person having feelings for another without reciprocated affection. It’s a feeling a lot of people will know all too well at some point in their lives. 

In this case, the girl gets married, and while the guy is still a friend, he can’t tell her how he feels. That’s about the most appropriate real-life love story that exists. Hollywood never talks about how real relationships actually turn out.

“Nicola” is an absolute pop-punk banger that will have you singing the “whoa-oh-oh, Nicola” line several times after the song ends.

Then comes “Something You Used to Say” which is another fantastic song. This song 100% reminds me of “San Dimas High School Football Rules” by The Ataris. It’s a song of wistful thinking about a lost moment of love that just never came to be set to a great tune and melody.

“From the Inside Out” is another love song but this one is based around the idea of not wanting to drink alone again. This definitely reminds me of a lot of Alkaline Trio songs, and the vocals kind of have that tone as well (though the style isn’t a mimic or anything).

This one also has a guitar solo in it that really breathes some life into the song. The band seemingly knows exactly when to solo and when to just skip it for the sake of a song.

“Quitter” is definitely a song I could see being really popular at a live show as it has the refrain, “All I ever do is quit,” and it is very easy to get stuck in your head. The whole song is a punk rock anthem. It is so good. The music video is fucking fantastic as well.

Another melodic punk song that is perfect all the way through, “The Last Person On Earth” continues the story of a failed relationship that one person wanted to continue through to marriage and the other one “wasn’t ready.” 

The lines, “I can’t remember the last time you spoke to me, and now I’m wishing that you were close to me while I’m probably the last person on earth that you want to see,” is a tale as old as time. How quickly a relationship can turn bitter when one person moves on and the other doesn’t. 

“Coronary Thrombosis” - well, this song is one of the best songs on the album, but it is not new to this album. The NAME is different, and the sound is a bit different, but it is really just a new version of the song “Heart Attack” from their first album (and later “Myocardial Infarction” from It’s Allgood). However, that takes NOTHING away from the song as it is a great song, and this is the best version of the song as well.

It’s also a song that has some comedy built around the insecurity and darkside of living a life being overweight and worrying about actually dying early. As most comedy, there is something scary underlying the joke.

“20 Below” finishes the album, and it is the second song on the album to feature guest vocals from Rosey Armstrong of Hans Gruber and the Die Hards. The first one being "Coronary Thrombosis" but in a more backup vocals fashion on that one.

The duet works out really well because it is a good bookend to the storyline of the lost love and sort of the moment it becomes obvious. It is also the first time you get the female’s side of the story. 

This song really reminds me of a song in the style of MXPX (minus the guest vocals). It’s so well blended together that I can hear about 10 different influences in this one song alone, and all of them are bands that I love also. 

So, while you can hear the influences in the album, you don’t hear ANYTHING that sounds exactly like anything you have heard before, and I will say this is one of the best albums I have heard this year.

It’s probably my favorite punk album since The Copyrights’ Alone in a Dome from last year too, and I love a LOT of punk albums from this year. So, that is a huge compliment.