DEAD TO ME - CUBAN BALLERINA published August 30, 2006, The Owl Mag

It's funny because Dead To Me is punk and punk is, in a lot of ways, very dead to me. Yet there is hope to be found in Cuban Ballerina as it takes everything unbearable about pop punk and either transforms it or kicks it out completely. The first thing to go is the token, disgustingly whiny singer replaced by a guy that actually sounds like both testicles have dropped. Big ups to singer Jack Dalrymple for putting his back into it. Finally, a singer that will inspire body rocking: not involuntary twitching.

The improvements lie in the overall tone of the record as it is uplifting and light, yet not sickly peppy and sunny. Truly, the band deserves to be more on the punk side of the spectrum than the pop side. Cuban Ballerina can bring a smile to the face of the most jaded child of punk just out of simple relief. Thank god it's not another pop punk band!