"the skinny-tie era") was the rage in New York and Los Angeles for only a brief time at the start of the '80s, that style of melodic rock has survived in the Midwest for two decades thanks to practitioners such as Cheap Trick, the Raspberries, Shoes and the Romantics.

"[9] Jae-Ha Kim, also of the Chicago Sun-Times, felt that the band's debut "paid delightful homage to girls, cars and power pop chords.

"[10] Mark Deming of Rolling Stone called the album "smart, hooky, and not afraid to sound edgy or let the amps go into the red".

[11] Dale Anderson, writing for The Buffalo News, opined that "Material Issue could be the big college radio rave of the spring, thanks to the parade of perky tunes about girls they loved and lost on their new debut album, "International Pop Overthrow."

Weaned on Cheap Trick, Shoes and other legends of Midwestern power pop in the late '70s, this Chicago trio lives, eats and breathes three-minute singles.