On American Machine, Arson Class bring perfect pop-punk harmonies to their heavy hitting EP. The trio isn’t afraid to tell it like it is, but deliver the whole thing with instantly addictive tunes and impressive vocals (check out the awesome falsetto halfway through opener “The Degradation of Saturday Night”). That aesthetic is clearest on the title track where the chorus is sung beautifully and the emotion isn’t masked in the slightest (“We have no past and our future is an American Machine/Where will we go when it isn’t safe to dream?”). This is never heavy-handed though; Arson Class knows their strengths and that passionate songwriting deserves an equally driven musical style.

They mix up the formula with the rockabilly stylings on “Dagger” and dial back on the pop with aggressive closer “Smoke Screen” which pulls no punches in its lyrics (“You think you’re such a maker, some social undertaker/I know that you’re a faker, you’re such a fucking faker!”). American Machine is fun, smart, and endlessly catchy.

Favorite Track: “The Degradation of Saturday Night” & “Smoke Screen”