Together since 1999, the F-Ups are a young band from Rochester, Minnesota. After daily practice sessions and rocking their local music scene, they realized their dream of releasing a CD and earned a spot on the Vans Warped Tour (2004). Released on Capitol Records in July of 2004, the F-Ups self titled debut has quickly found a welcoming audience. What makes this band unique is that it is made up of people who are barely old enough to buy soft core pornography. The ire self-titled debut takes the listener on a ride that is entertaining yet ordinary. Songs such as “Screw You,” written while singer/guitarist Travis Allen was only thirteen, recalls the defiance that young punkers begin to feel around that age. The first track is “Lazy Generation,” a commentary about the current generation’s apathy to its environment. Of the twelve songs, only one is a cover: “All the Young Dudes” was originally written by David Bowie and performed by Matt the Hoople

After listening to the album, one is left with the primal urge to throw themselves into a big mosh pit of deviant, dancing bodies. The album’s sound is bubbly and deceptively perky. The band rocks its way through an array of teenage sentiments that range from the general concerns of defiant youth, specifically apathy, sex, and parents. The CD does not leave the listener with a desire to go out and change the world, but it does leave you humming some catchy riffs.

The number of good and semi-tolerable songs outweighs the number of songs that make the listener pray their ears aren’t bleeding. Lead vocalist, Travis Allen, has a decent voice, which makes some of the songs repetitive lyrics more tolerable.

Overall the album is worth a listen if one is looking for something to bop around to. If you’re looking for something hard and vicious, don’t bother. The CD could kick mall punk’s ass, but it would need some heavy duty training to take on punk rock’s heavy hitters.

The F-Ups have been signed to Capitol Records, which is a testament to their skill. The band has talent. As they continue to grow, expect to see even better material come from them.. They've come far and have a long road ahead of them.