Rufio – Anybody Out There

I’ve never given Rufio much credit.  The band has always been a perpetual supporting act for bands like New Found Glory, Saves The Day, Yellowcard, and all the heavy hitters defining the past decade.  It’s not that their music lacked heart, but rather that it doesn’t stand apart from the crowd.   Even today, Rufio’s fourth studio album, Anybody Out There, goes down easy but has a tough time convincing me to recommend it above the competition.

Not much has changed for Rufio over the years, and the same can be said here.  Landing on the poppier side of the spectrum, songs bounce along at a jovial pace.  Basic pop-punk chords role into one another in tempos raging from MxPx-styled quick rollers (“Under 18”) to more heavy-handed chorus-verse mid-tempo outings complete with piano-laced lead-outs (“What You Wanna Hear”). As stated before, these tracks are each audibly pleasing, but locating edgier moments proves a more taxing challenge.  “Deep End” demonstrates the exception rather than the rule, overcoming the album’s singular tonality with defined chords and memorable after-effects.

Scott Sellers’ cushy vocals remain a comforting relic of turn of the century pop-punk, exerting the same comforting confidence characteristic of Rufio’s career.  Pitchy without becoming nasally or whiny, Sellers holds his own on vocal heavy tracks like ”All that Lasts.”

Lyrics however prove a greater challenge for the band.  For all the hooks stringing together the likes of “The Loneliest” and “This I Swear,” trivial tales of one-dimensional affection do little more than accompany melody.  There’s an understanding that pop-punk has always been about the feeling and never the content.  I’d argue that introspective bands like The Wonder Years fight that perception, so Rufio’s attempt to hide behind a mask of complacency doesn’t help Anybody Out There live up to my expectations.

Still, Rufio feels comfortable sticking to what they know, and it’s hard denying that they sound like they’re having a good time.  Anybody Out There doesn’t push the bar, but should remind listeners that they can find a good time in classic sounds.