For 12 years now, MXPX has been busting out similar-sounding, 3-chord, punk-rock ditties that everyone can sing along to. It was their 1998 effort, Slowly Going the Way of the Buffalo with the hit "I'm OK You're OK" that put them up among the rank and file of bands like Blink 182, Goldfinger and Unwritten Law and the salad days of the "pop-punk" movement exploded in the early 2000s. With their 10th release, the simply titled Panic, the boys do no such thing, nicely holding their ground, while proving that they have the capacity to expand their musical horizons.

The CD starts off with "The Darkest Places," which has the same rocking beat as Green Day's pumping hit, "American Idiot." "Cold Streets" sounds like a hard-hitting AFI song with its backup yells and syncopated beat changes and breakdowns, while "Late Again" shows off the band's ability to drop kick the Murphy's and crank out a great Irish-drinking song. Another standout is "Grey Skies Turn Blue," which features 80's-sounding electronic drums and synthesizer effects that make one forget about its facile chorus, "When grey skies turn blue, I'll come back for you."

Perhaps the greatest song on the album is "Get Me Out," which shows off an angrier side of MXPX that would shock most teenybopper fans. With ferocious, anguished singing and screaming that sounds distorted (complete with grunts and fits of labored breathing), a powerful breakdown chorus and lyrics like "I'll claw, dig, fight, scratch, and I'll bite," this song almost sounds like Trent Reznor singing with Papa Roach. On the negative side of the ledger are a few slower songs that smack of Good Charlotte slumming - "Wrecking Hotel Rooms" and "This Weekend," are two prime examples to avoid.

Overall, Panic would appear to be MXPX' attempt to show their contempt for the over-sturated post-punk/emo state of affairs, by stepping away from their typical pop punk M.O. and experimenting successfully with some different styles and perhaps picking up some new fans that are likewise looking toward a brave nu world.