Lancaster’s ‘Do Over’ a success

With his former band Mayday Parade moving further into the mainstream with a watered-down version of the sound he helped craft, Jason Lancaster is ready for his second chance at stardom with his new band, Go Radio, and a new EP, “Do Overs and Second Chances.”

The seven-track effort is full of what any fans of Lancaster should expect: intense, emotional vocals and heartfelt lyrics that straddle the line between sincere and cliché. With nearly every other act in the genre following the same pattern, Go Radio’s ability to diversify the three-minute pop song makes for an enjoyable listen.

The melodic, soaring “Thanks for Nothing” and “Letters and Love Notes” work perfectly as summer-playlist jams, but little touches like a piano intro on the former and building rolling-drum progression on the latter place them a cut above the normal pop-punk dreck.

But as Lancaster fans know, his strongest suit is the piano-driven ballad, and “Do Overs” features his best yet. “Goodnight Moon” builds to an explosive, goosebump-inducing bridge and finalé with Lancaster throwing himself into the words as if they are his last.

His former band might be more popular, but Lancaster’s do over ended up much better for him — and us.