Review / 200 Words Or Less
I Call Fives
First Things First

Open Your Eyes (2008) — Michael

I Call Fives – First Things First cover artwork
I Call Fives – First Things First — Open Your Eyes, 2008

New Jersey natives I Call Fives offer up a style of pop-punk that have become increasingly popular in the past couple of years. You know the type. Fast and melodic punk meets bubblegum pop. The results are undoubtedly catchy, but it's a sound that is quickly becoming supersaturated. Thankfully, I Call Fives don't rely on neon-splattered logo t's and out of place hardcore breakdowns to get fans; and that is something that I admire.

Instead, I Call Five give us the infectious sing-alongs of "My Last Mistake" that bring to mind the early New Found Glory catalog mixed with a dash of the emo-leanings of Saves the Day. Cuts like "Twelve Credits Short" and "This Song is So

2006" bring to mind the days of the circa-2000 Drive-Thru Records catalog. So listening to this record is a bit nostalgic in that aspect.

First Things First is a pretty good debut effort. I can definitely find myself listening to this record when I need something upbeat to put me in a good mood

well of course that's if I can't find my New Found Glory CD's. Nevertheless, I can easily see them blowing up with the right exposure.

7.5 / 10 — Michael • March 18, 2009

I Call Fives – First Things First cover artwork
I Call Fives – First Things First — Open Your Eyes, 2008

Related news

I Call Fives: new EP w/ a reissue too (of sorts)

Posted in Records on February 11, 2023

No Sleep Signs I Call Fives

Posted in Labels on March 11, 2010

Recently-posted album reviews

Heather The Jerk

Scroll If You Love The Devil
Mpls Ltd. (2026)

On Scroll If You Love The Devil, Heather The Jerk is back with more curmudgeoncore. This vinyl is an upgrade -- I suppose the marketing team would call it the deluxe -- adding four new songs to a full album that was previously released on cassette this year.I've covered a lot of Heather Sawyer's music, beginning with The Hussy and … Read more

Skeptic?

Graphic Details
Independent (2026)

One of the things I love about reviewing music is stumbling across bands that have somehow managed to fly under my radar for years. Sometimes it's a new band just getting started, and other times it's a group that's been kicking around the underground for decades without me ever crossing paths with them. Birmingham, Alabama's Skeptic? falls firmly into the … Read more

​Pressure Set

​Pressure Set
Dr Strange Records (2026)

Punk rock has never needed complexity to make an impact. Sometimes, all it takes is a handful of riffs, a relentless rhythm section, and enough attitude to make the whole thing stick. Pressure Set understands that formula, but rather than simply recycling it, the band coats it in layers of filthy fuzz, garage-rock swagger, and an unexpectedly sharp melodic sensibility. … Read more