The first comparison the average listener will think of upon hearing the debut album by
Fireworks Go Up! is early
Weezer. This will probably be the second and third comparison as well (along with a little bit of both
the Promise Ring and
Sleepyhead), but unlike a lot of similar bands, singer/songwriter Dan Coutant and crew aren't content to merely ape
Pinkerton for just over half an hour. Coutant has other influences, and works them into the pop-emo sound of
You're Welcome quite neatly. For example, his vocals on the jangly "Delusionist" are a frighteningly accurate imitation of
The Queen Is Dead-era
Morrissey, and the opening "The Sun Don't Burn Without Her" has a power-poppy sweetness that recalls the likes of
Shoes or
the Motors. While Coutant, who formerly was in the late-'90s emo band
Joshua, doesn't quite have the songwriting chops to surpass his influences, the varied and melodically rich
You're Welcome is a far superior album in comparison to Coutant's monochromatic earlier work. ~ Stewart Mason