Artist Sing It Loud

At the end of a long chain of bands turning emo into a teenage baby-formula of whimpers, whines, and cuddles comes Sing It Loud. The Twin Cities outfit makes the sound surprisingly agreeable, though, paring the recipe down to what works: bright, overblown guitar and synth hooks, plus a lead singer who sounds like a puppy with a case of the sniffles. It’s even a bit refreshing, considering how many of the group’s peer bands try too hard to sound tough. Epitaph, which released Sing It Loud’s debut album, Come Around, in 2008, markets it as “power-pop striplings,” complete with rainbow-colored logos and album art.