Pop-Punk’s dead horse has been flogged so many times that its carcass is now just a bloody mess of entrails and rotting flesh on the commercial slaughterhouse floor. So it’s surprising that Between You & Me’s debut album ‘Everything Is Temporary’ manages to find a heartbeat on this much-abused body. Opener ‘Twice Shy’ bursts out of the stalls with a familiar Punk-Pop canter. The semi-spat out vocals add some much need edge to the genre and the song has some almost Alkaline Trio attitude and lyrics. Next up is ‘Move On’ with it’s “I’m sorry I hurt you” self-hating words of relationship pain and heartbreak while lead track ‘Dakota’ is the ex-boyfriend’s guide to survival. The chorus is loaded with angry emotion but not in the nasty cheap faux vain of a million bands past but in a real-life experience kind of way. ‘Broken’ continues the struggling to breathe in the tormentous seas of emotion that crashes over the soul like breaking waves of desperation. The album could do with a little subject variety to ease the mastication of dry bitter feelings. ‘Friends Of 96’ is nudged into the light after a campfire at dusk intro. In contrast ‘Good Intentions’ jumps with misery in puddles of mud. Both ‘Floral Glass’ and ‘I Can’t Help It’ follow the albums walking in the rain pace, texture and feel. Title track ‘Everything Is Temporary’ offers a glimmer of hope and happiness through the dark clouds of personal anguish that shadow this impressive debut, oh and keep playing for the secret piano track at the end. Punk-Pop may finally be returning to life after choking on the sugary, early teen smoothie of shite that had sadly become the norm. “Doctor I think we’ve found a pulse!”