For the average punk rock fan, Banner Pilot is a brand new name, but these four guys have been releasing kick ass tunes since 2005 in the Midwest punk rock music scene, and with two records under their belt, an EP entitled “Pass The Poison” and their debut LP “Resignation Day”, they release today their Fat Wreck Chords major debut album: “Collapser“.

As on previous albums, but with a far better prodution and better sound quality, the four Minneapolis kids release twelve tracks of heavy influenced power pop punk, with smart lyrics that deal about personal issues, lost love and a lot of drinking, conquering streets and youth mistakes.

“Our ears bleed red, but we yell at every note” screams Nick Johnson on “Greenwood“: well, that is what this album is all about: being at a punk rock show, knowing every word by heart and screaming it out loud. Friendship, but also grief come to mind. The songs are deep, personal, and deliver quite obsucre lyrics at some time (“We’ll keep on running through the warning signs. It beats sitting here all the time. And at the crosstown disappear behind the northern skyline” sings the last verse of “Northern Skyline“, probably the best track on the whole LP), while sometimes the lyris are direct as fuck as on “Farewell To Iron Bastards“: “Took a storm and a drink, washing out pretense.Puddled up on the floor soaking up defense.”

But as good punks they keep on singing about drunk nights (“walking to the liquor store, you’re what I came here for” sings “Starting at an Ending”) and it’s easy to see how Banner Pilot is such a strong band with personality: “But I’ve got nothing left – a couple bucks, some cigarettes. I pick a day to say I’ll quit, I’m filled with hope or full of shit.“

Musically, they are a cross between Dillinger Four (minus the dirty and drunken vocals of Paddy) and the strongest Brendan Kelly sung Lawrence Arms songs, but with a lot of personality thrown in there, that makes them playing fast guitar lyrics even when the chord progression is made up of only one single chords, in pure Ramones style.

There is not a single bad, or boring track on this LP, and when the last lines of “Write It Down” approach, all you want to to is start playing it from the beginning. Seriously, I can hardly find a record that has got so many spinning on my player lately, but Banner Pilot succeeded in it.

“Collapser” is quite possibly the best debut punk rock album released this year, and if you believe in good anthems, catchy pop punk music and infranted dreams, you should put your hands on this small piece of art.