For a genre as accessible as pop punk, Oslo trio The Hallingtons are particularly easy on the ears. On their new LP No Plan, they don’t bother competing to be the fastest or the snottiest. But don’t mistake that for a lack of bite—The Hallingtons are far from middle-of-the-road. Their hooks are too sharp, their melodies too dialed-in. And while they definitely operate in bubblegum territory, the songs never tip into syrup, thanks to an uncomplicated production that’s clear without feeling over-polished.

Lyrically, The Hallingtons lean into their sci-fi streak, singing about King Kong and run-ins with the Mothman with just the right amount of ominous shadow (“I met the Mothman // I said, do you come here often / He said, bad things will come my way / He turned, and then he flew away”). And while No Plan isn’t a political record, its beating heart is what I like to interpret as the band’s climate-emergency pop-punk anthem Planet B (“No Plan! No Planet B”)—though to other ears it could easily scan as a simple space-travel fantasy.

No Plan might not aim for the crown, but it sticks around like the best kind of earworm. It is out now on Monster Zero Records.

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