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Three years ago, Trevor Blendour released one of the greatest power pop albums of recent years, and not nearly enough people noticed. Now he's back with his second solo album that finds him again exemplifying what pure pop music ought to be. Breaking Up, like its predecessor Falling In Love, combines the spirit and sound of 1950s & early '60s pop and rock 'n' roll with the energy and attitude of pop-punk and power pop. It's hard to clearly define where this music fits in today's scene, and that's why I love it. It sounds like the music your parents or grandparents grew up on, yet it's not trying to be retro or kitschy. As a person who has loved pop-punk my entire adult life, I can say this album represents just about everything I've ever loved about the genre. Yet I could imagine people who usually hate pop-punk being really into this album. Trevor Blendour is a master at writing melody-and-harmony driven, two-to-three minute songs about love and heartbreak. Whether you call it power pop, pop-punk, or simply rock 'n' roll, it can't be denied that this is a timeless art form. He also writes some of the smartest, funniest, and most brutally honest lyrics you'll ever have the good fortune to hear.
The title of this album suggests that it pairs well with the last one, and I would absolutely say that any fan of one would also be fan of the other. But Breaking Up is a big step forward from its predecessor. Every single one of these songs is an absolute gem. In addition to the expected love songs, there are several very personal songs — including a few where Trevor sings openly and honestly about his blindness. "Totally Blind" is such a powerful song because it's so deeply heartbreaking yet delivered with wickedly self-deprecating humor (the lyrics are so amazing that I won't even dare to spoil them for you). "I Don't Want To Rock" is an honest and unflinching reflection on what it's like to be in a hopeless place in your life. "No One To Love" articulates things I've felt so many times in my life but could never properly put into words. "Sucks to be Me" is the kind of song you almost feel bad laughing at until you realize that the whole point is that you're supposed to laugh. Certain things in life are so hard to face that they'd totally destroy us if we couldn't find the humor in them.
If we're talking about the finest songwriters currently working in the pop-punk/power pop universe, Breaking Up makes it clear that Trevor Blendour belongs in that conversation. So much of the talk about him centers around his influences, but it's his formidable talent as a singer, songwriter, and storyteller that makes his music so enjoyable to listen and so easy to like. Breaking Up is that rare album that could appeal to music lovers ranging in age from 9 to 99. It's a perfect pop record and is sure to land a spot in my year-end top ten. It's streaming now at the usual places; click here to buy a CD or digital download.
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