With the May release date of their Inpop Records debut still too far away, Everyday Sunday decided to treat fans who preordered the record with an exclusive EP. From the moment the first song starts, it is obvious that Everyday Sunday brings a new energy with their third release, Wake Up! Wake Up!. With just three tracks of pop-punk goodness present, the band quickly makes their case as to why their new record should be one of the most anticipated releases of the year. As a group that has been largely underappreciated for most of their career, Wake Up! Wake Up! looks poised to change that forever.

The first track, "Wake Up! Wake Up!" is fast and fun, making it easy to see why it was chosen as the title track. All Christians struggle with their faith at some point in time and Everyday Sunday understands this, urging them to "wake up" and walk with God. While the message is practically good enough on its own, it is clear that the bands sound has matured along with its lyricist as Jesse Counts' in-your-face guitar work does its best to stay in your head all day. Even though the instrumentation itself is not very complex, it is performed in such a way that makes this record hard to put down.

Just as "Wake Up! Wake Up!" is a great way to start the EP, "Find Me Tonight" and "I'll Get Over It" do an impressive job finishing it off. Never hiding their faith, Everyday Sunday calls out to God saying "I don't think I want to be roaming in heartache, please find me tonight," on "Find Me Tonight," crying for comfort in a world that doesn't know what love really is. To end the record, "I'll Get Over It" touches on an issue that everyone who has been in a relationship understands and fears and that is "just being friends." Even though this track is not quite as spiritual as the others, it is still excellent to listen to.

Nothing on this record is anything you wouldn't expect from Everyday Sunday. They haven't reinvented themselves, but they have clearly perfected their own sound. Even though two out of the three songs on this EP are available online at MySpace (but not for download), do yourself a favor and pre-order the album anyway. Perhaps with the backing of Newsboys-run Inpop Records and the advertising budget of a major label, Everyday Sunday will finally get the recognition they deserve.

- Review date: 01/26/07, written by Flip Choquette