I got turned on to RVIVR from reading a Top 5 list from 2013. I think it was something like “The Return of Pop Punk.” Most of the bands on the list were pretty blah but one of them stuck out like a beam of light shining down from heaven and blinding my eyes to all that was wrong with the world and allowing my consciousness to rise to a higher plane of existence.

Okay, maybe it wasn’t *that* transcendent, but it was pretty nifty.

RVIVR’s latest is a collection of huge anthems set over a punk-rock backdrop. But where a lot of pop-punk tends to skew sophomoric with its lyrical content, the songs here are thoughtful and deep, yet never heavy-handed. “The Beauty Between” eschews the super-slick production style that made pop-punk a dirty word in the first place and instead sounds like it would be comfortable on the shelf next to your copy of “And Out Come The Wolves.” The tracks are, for the most part, fast and furious, but RVIVR isn’t afraid to dive into some murkier territory with the three-part “Hunger Suite.”

Sure, the record is a throwback. But I’m happy people are still making music like this.