3 Dollars - Plus Tax EP

Plus Tax, the first official EP release from emotional punk act 3 Dollars, is stunning. It clocks in at barely twenty minutes and leaves a lasting impression the second it kicks in. Their debut EP feels like it would have fit right at home in any Drive-Thru Records section of a record shop in 2002. The irony is that the band members formed 3 Dollars when they were in high school, which was only a few years ago. For not having been born when most of the bands they’re emulating here were cutting their teeth on the Vans Warped Tour, they’ve managed to understand the assignment and infuse the genre with some fresh blood.

Highlights here include EP opener “Nauseous”, which wastes no time blasting the doors off the hinges with an explosive dosage of TNT-infused punk and emo. “Like I Said I Would (Dylan’s Song)” eulogizes the end of a relationship, while “Suppressed Memories” finds vocalist Arthur Pawley wishing to forget the past altogether, almost hoping something so bad happens in life that it wipes the memory clean from his brain. Elsewhere, “Waking Up Early” blends pop-punk with grunge sensibilities in a memorable chorus. “Untiled #17” closes stunningly with a chorus that would make any East Coast emo band from the early aughts proud. Plus Tax hits the nail on the head and gives a strong introduction to a promising new band.