Hopeless Romantic may be released on California's Epitaph label and the band's sound may undoubtedly be West Coast pop-punk, but the fact of the matter is that these boys are from New Brunswick, NJ, and are all about East Coast pride! The combination of the band's patented, slightly skewed punk sing-a-longs and some of their best songwriting to date means there truly isn't a bad tune on this 13-song CD. Soon-to-be classics like "Hopeless Romantic," "Bullying the Jukebox" and "Undeniable" are superbly sculpted, with varying tempos, clever lyrics and the distinct, slightly suave vocals that make these tunes uniquely Bouncing Souls' material. For the bickering romantic type, there's even a great (ex-) couple duet, "Wish Me Well (You Can Go To Hell)," which has an amusing interchange between soon-to-be exes. And while there are some serious societal critiques here, the Souls never forget to interject an occasional bit of good natured humour to lighten things up. Long time Bouncing Souls fans are sure to get a kick out of this release, and newcomers will hear the most accessible -- and arguably the best -- release by the Souls to date. So don't forget, California doesn't have a 100% stake in pop-punk as long as New Brunswick is still on the map!