Artist versus convention

The power-pop offshoot of pop-punk is becoming a derivative, boring landscape of bad voices, really bad synth beats and horribly bad neon colors. So when a new band comes along and actually doesn’t reproduce the same 40 minutes as the next group, it’s a little staggering.

Artist Vs Poet could be that band. Could be. Their debut album, “Favorite Fix,” is a fine power-pop effort that shows actual signs of life.

Like many bands in the genre, Artist Vs Poet actually fares better when they get away from the synthesizer and manufactured pop music production and move into straight pop-punk. “Unconscious Reality,” “Damn Rough Night” and “So Much I Never Said” feature quality, catchy hooks and fun guitar parts.

And although vocalist Tarcy Thompson doesn’t have the best range and the lyrics are harmless, even the softer, poppier efforts are far from boring and not one of the songs sounds the same.

With some more polish — and less polishing with the Auto-Tune — Artist Vs Poet could be the next big thing in music. There is hope, after all.