What Australia has been missing in its music scene is one of those pop-punk bands like Boys Like Girls or All Time Low – you know the ones that behind the sweet earnest vocals and sometimes cheesy lyrics, you can’t help but love with their infectious sound. Sydney band Heroes For Hire look set to fill that void with their second album Take One For The Team.

Opening with a bang with "No Milk Will Ever Be Our Milk", the band displays how much they have grown since their debut album Life Of The Party. Lyrically they are more mature, and instrumentally and vocally they have never sounded better. It could be assumed also that they are striving not to fall in the teenage target market and make their sound more mature with lyrics such as “I’m losing my patience, I’m fucked up and wasted".

Working with Paul Leavitt, who has worked with the likes of All Time Low and Senses Fail has paid off for the band and this is demonstrated throughout the album – this album has been put together with the purpose of Australian and possibly global domination within the pop-punk scene. The energy and pace throughout the album keeps the album from getting stale or boring, something that has the potential to happen easily with a voice as distinctive as Brad Smith. Smith’s voice is perfect for the pop-punk scene and by keeping most of the songs short, sweet and with punchy choruses, the band successfully avoids falling into the ‘whiny emo’ niche.

“That’s Not Flying, That’s Falling With Style” instrumentally demonstrates how much the band has improved, with quite a nice guitar solo added in, which takes the song from the normal to something epic.

“Keep Me Safe” is a nice break-up acoustic song, showcasing that the band can do the softer more melodic sound as well as the fun and energetic numbers.
“Before I Die” closes the album, cementing the bands signature style and catchy beats within the listeners head.

Take One For The Team is a carefully crafted and cleverly catchy pop-punk album. Heroes for Hire have been successful in creating an album that is sure to catch the attention of the Australian public. The album is a grower, with a greater appreciation for the songs coming after a few listens. Often described as Australia’s answer to All Time Low, Heroes for Hire have definitely taken a step in the right direction with their second album.

You can catch the boys on tour soon, supporting Short Stack (though why it’s not the other way around I’m not entirely sure.) For now however, they should be congratulated on a solid album, that will keep their fans happy and no doubt attract a new legion of fans.

Review Score: 7/10