Fortunately, there are plenty of avenues to check out their sound. You could start at their website, where you can streaming some of the songs if you want. “Eight Tracks” is also available at iTunes for $7.92. Either way, this one won't be thrown back.

Blogspot

For many years it seemed as if power pop, and rock 'n' roll for that matter, may well be a dying art. Fortunately, the past two years has not only seen a revival in traditional rock music, but in power pop as well. And in the vanguard of the revival of power pop is the band Throwback Suburbia.

Throwback Suburbia was formed by songwriters Mike Collins and Jimi Evans, who purposefully sought to create a group that would blend the best of power pop of the past with the best of modern day rock. Listening to their EP “Eight Tracks,” it is safe to say that they succeeded. In the songs one can hear the influences from nearly every era of power pop history. Quite simply, they combine the rawness of The Kinks, Cheap Trick, and The Knack with the melodic sensibilities of The Raspberries, The Posies, and Jellyfish. True, the melodies are catchy, but the guitar and drums are aggressive--they have effectively put the power back in pop.

This is perhaps best demonstrated by the opening songs from “Eight Tracks.” Both "Lonely With You" and "The Ride" possess guitar driven hooks and appealing vocals that make the songs instantly memorable, and instantly recognizable as the work of Throwback Suburbia. It would be a mistake, however, to think of Throwback Suburbia as simply a guitar group with great melodies. They have remembered what too many rock artists of late have forgotten--that truly great songs also have truly great lyrics. The songs on Eight Tracks aren't simple pop tunes by any stretch of the imagination.

If you often find yourself thinking that the best rock music has to offer all lies in the past, then I seriously recommend that you give Throwback Suburbia a look. You can hear samples of the songs and buy the EP on iTunes.

Blogcritics

It's not very often in these the days of Karo syrup pop and vacuous celebrity-ism that you come across a band that is just interested in making real rock and roll. Throwback Suburbia is such a band. Endeavouring to create the kind of sounds that modern pop-rock was missing by blending pop melodies and intelligent lyrics with a rock n roll attitude, they manage to capture the essence of retro-pop and make it modern rock.

Influenced by Tom Petty, Cheap Trick, Queen, OK Go, David Bowie and Jellyfish, this neo-power pop sound has energy, conscience, and style, setting it above the rest of the pack.

And with the release of their debut EP “Eight Tracks,” Throwback Suburbia has been unleashed on the public. From the first track “Lonely With You,” they set the tone for the rest of this very cool EP. “Lonely With You” has the melodies and harmonies that you will come to expect from Throwback Suburbia. Added to the intense guitar hook and raw, throaty vocals, this track is the perfect place to start.

“The Ride” remembers what it is not to be homogeneous, paltry, mass-produced pop. Its hard driving guitar hook and catchy vocals are unforgettable. Tracks like “Starting Over”, “Watching You Fade,” and “Starving” make it very clear why Throwback Suburbia are going places fast.

But these boys aren’t resting on their laurels — they are currently recording new material for their debut full length album, with famous producers The Macchiato Kids. I was lucky enough to get a copy of some of their new “previously unreleased” songs (available to listen to on Throwback Suburbia’s website). “Circles” is my favorite of the new stuff — more great lyrics and distinctive vocal melodies and harmonies and Throwback Suburbia’s signature energetic addictive retro-chic sound.

Eight Tracks is just the beginning for this exciting and upwardly mobile new band. I have no doubt one day we will see them in the sky, suburbia in the stars.

If you would like to listen to Throwback Suburbia's EP “Eight Tracks,” you can hear it on their website or download it from iTunes.

Absolute Powerpop

Here it is, folks: the latest band for those of you who loved Jellyfish and The Tories, and love their latter-day acolytes like Sparkwood, Checkpoint Charley, Millicent Friendly, et al. I'm speaking of Portland, Oregon's Throwback Suburbia, who've come of out nowhere to hit us with Eight Tracks, which subscribes to the theory of "all killer, no filler."

As they point out themselves, there's also a Cheap Trick and Butch Walker influence at work here, and opener "Lonely Without You" wouldn't have sounded out of place on Walker's new disc. "The Ride" mines Jellyfish/Tories territory, while "Starting Over" incorporates a more "modern rock" sound a la Weezer or Rooney. These three tracks are representative of the high-energy, highly melodic sound of the remainder of the album, culminating in the proto-power ballad "Do We Cry."