“”Let the games begin.”” The maturing Phoenix quartet Anarbor is only six years old, but on its way to the mainstream with its third album.

Friends since kindergarten, singer-bassist Slade Echeverria and guitarist Mike Kitlas decided to form a band in middle school with the help of drummer Greg Garrity. Throughout high school they started generating buzz, and before graduation they were signed to Hopeless Records. 

The new album The Words You Don’t Swallow still plays with the band’s bluesy lilts and infectious choruses, yet shows that the guys are stepping things up a bit. Although their last EP Free Your Mind was a good collection of five solid tracks, all of them pretty much sounded the same. This album plays with versatility and shows that Anarbor is experimenting more with their sound, slowing things down a bit when the occasion calls for it and even making things acoustic. 

The band is still producing emo-pop tracks with the same basic sound, but the new album shows more versatility. Tracks like “”Gypsy Woman,”” exhibit Anarbor’s more typical twangy style while others like “”Mr. Big Shot”” are slower, swingy and retro-sounding

The album also features an acoustic song, “”Useless,”” that ends the album on a completely different note from the band’s usual electric rock sound. The song is slow and raw until the finale, which reenters Anarbor’s comfort zone with electric guitars and drums..

If you weren’t aware of Anarbor until now, you may have heard them subliminally. This album also features the band’s single “”Let the Games Begin,”” which has been featured on ESPN’s “”Sports Center”” as well as MTV’s “”The Hills.”” The songs from these early-20-year-olds are also extremely relatable and full of references from Sheriff Joe Arpaio to love and daydreaming.

Anarbor is worth listening to if you’re into Blink-182, Green Day, Fall Out Boy or Southern rock, as Anarbor draws upon these styles for inspiration. They’re not just another sound-alike band. They definitely have their own unique sound that harkens to the Blink-182 lover in us all.  

The more you listen to this album the more you will like it. The new album brings Anarbor’s budding talent to the table in a way that is pleasant on the eardrums. It will have you belting along the lyrics with Echeverria in no time.  

Grade: A-

Anarbor

The Words You Don’t Swallow

Hopeless Records

Released April 20, 2010