Eleventyseven

And the Land of Fake Believe
Flicker Records

This is a powerful release for Christian pop-punk newcomers Eleventyseven, who sound like the next big thing.

A thick, quality production pushes the talent of these South Carolina youngsters through the speakers at a frenetic, crunchy pace and perfectly ices their nasally vocals with the robotic adolescent timbre that marks successful radio punk.

Several tracks hint of “Teenage Politics”-era MxPx only with the added beef of keyboard a la late ’90s product from the Tooth and Nail label. Another sign pointing toward a promising reception is the band’s familiarity with teenage pop-culture code, evidenced in songs such as “MySpace,” which references an online networking community popular with the under-30 crowd.

But despite the juvenile interests, there is a sonic and lyric maturity present in this CD normally not found in debut records. “Land of Fake Believe” sounds like the second or third release of a group that knows its way around.