Uncut Magazine

Flying High Lucinda

Rare Solo Turn by one of US power-pop's prime movers.

With his late-'70s LA troupes The Nerves and The Beat, Paul Collins
essentially invented the genre of punk-infused power-pop. The Beat's
eponymous 1979 Columbia debut, with its skittering guitar-and-
adrenaline stompers like "Rock and Roll Girl" and "Walking Out On
Love," arguably remains the style's apex, and established an archetype
that lesser bands like The Romantics and The Knack parlayed into mass
successes. The modest Flying High, Collins' first solo turn in 12
years, proves his gift for a hook is still intact, even if the rhythms
are gentler, the songs more reflective. "Afton Place," a catchy-as-
hell highlight, looks back on the early years with empathy and passion.
– Luke Torn