“Now you’re just somebody that I used to know.”  Any Mercy girl could easily tell you these lyrics come from the song Somebody That I Used to Know by Goyte.

Students are very familiar with the catchy radio singles that topped charts this past year, sometimes too familiar.  Overplayed songs leave listeners looking for a much needed change in their music libraries.

Thanks to the new album Punk Goes Pop 5, popular radio songs have a new sound.  The album includes many popular songs like “Some Nights” by Fun., “Call Me Maybe” by Carly Rae Jepsen, and “Payphone” by Maroon 5, all performed by other artists.

One of the standout songs from Punk Goes Pop 5 is We Came As Romans’ version of “I’m Glad You Came” by The Wanted.  This brilliant rendition stays true to the original song while bringing new and unexpected harmonies to the cover.  The variations on the chorus are melodic and arguably even better than the original tune.

Another attention grabbing song is Craig Owens’ cover of “Paradise” by Coldplay.  Owens’ version has a clean and simple sound, unlike the computerized feel of the original.  His straight vocals and smooth piano melodies show off the simplicity of the song and give the lyrics more weight and meaning.

Punk Goes Pop 5 also includes songs that aren’t recent radio hits, but timeless classics like “Billie Jean” by Michael Jackson and “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper.

Breathe Carolina’s new take on “Billie Jean” is a danceable rendition that makes the song much more applicable to young people.  On the other hand, The Maine’s cover of “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” is much slower than the original.  The lead singer of The Maine, John O’Callahan, gives the song a mellow and soothing feel.  While hearing this iconic “girl power” song sung by a man is at first a bit shocking, O’Callahan pulls it off.

Overall, Punk Goes Pop 5 is a great buy with its unique versions of popular radio songs.  However, the album does have its fair share of songs that don’t do the originals justice.

Like Moths to Flames’ version of “Some Nights” by Fun. could have been much better.  This song was one of the most anticipated songs on the album and, unfortunately, fails to impress.  The band added nothing new to the song and lead singer Chris Roetter’s raspy vocals make it sound muddy.

The Word Alive’s cover of “Mercy” by Kanye West manages to make an already distasteful song even worse.  Its minimal clean vocals make the song sound grimy and unfinished.

With the exception of these two songs, Punk Goes Pop 5 is a great way to listen to your radio favorites without getting sick of them.