Jet Market
Sparks Against Darkness

Italian punk rock is not seen on MTV, and it fails to reach most teenagers, who end up considering unmentionable things as punk, and so I find myself hearing my peers say they've discovered a "pancroc" band on MTV that's super cool. I only realized quite recently about the highly underrated Italian Skate Punk/Melodic hc scene, a scene that perhaps few will know, but that has every reason to be loved.

Among many names, we find the Romans Jet Market, active since 1998. Their latest work "Sparks Against Darkness," released in 2011, is an example of how melodic punk can still be brought out without falling into the malevolent clutches of commercialization aimed at greater profit, while also maintaining excellent quality in lyrics and songwriting. 

An intro of about a minute catapults us into a concentrate of energy, the singing is in excellent English (there are indeed many Italian bands that sing in English, but the result here is much more pleasant than one might expect), perfectly curated choruses are not lacking as in the second "My Deep Black Night" and pure hc bursts as in the same track, the guitar technique is also very good, composing original melodies but also with immediate impact, reminiscent of several prominent names in the genre: a bit of This Is A Standoff, a bit of NOFX, a bit of Rise Against, a bit of Strung Out, in any case the result is hardly forgettable. Speaking of This Is A Standoff, the title track that quite resembles the style of the Canadian band (a really great thing) even features singer Steve Rawles as a guest star. Another noteworthy track is "Used The Worst," excellently crafted between a simple yet not trivial riff, tempo changes, guitar slides, and choruses. Also noteworthy are "Wayfarers," perhaps the most technical of the record, "Hate is baggage," the track where the bass is most highlighted, and especially the final duo composed of "Expectations Vs Facts" and "Myth Became Legend, Legend Became History," which also includes a ghost track.