"It's obvious that Howe and company are hyper-literate when it comes to pop history: "Tabloid Tomorrow" is more than a bit Kinks-y,
and not just because it involves a girl named Victoria, while
"Poltergeist" and "Is It Me?" are great examples of just how much angst
churns underneath power pop's shiny riffs...However they play it, Punks on Mars sound retro, fresh, and completely catchy on Bad Expectations,
and the album's only drawback -- if it can be called that -- is just
how breathlessly full of fast-paced, hook-laden songs it is from
beginning to end."- All Music
FULL REVIEW
"Ryan Howe’s not new to the music world, but his newest endeavor as Punks On Mars is sort of a new creation. Listening to the entirety of Bad Expectations,
you’re rushed through a compilation of Howe’s influences, re-imagined
and perfected by his gift for pop sensibility. Sure, you can say it’s
all over the place, musically, but that makes it one hell of a good
listen... It’s nice to see someone going outside the normal re-hash and creating
something I’ll adore for its obviousness, yet still find myself, and my
ears, challenged." -Austin Town Hall
FULL REVIEW
"While Ryan has always been crazy good at fully realizing the universe of his PeeWee’s Playhouse-esque
punk pop, his earlier tracks tended to feel more like sketches that
popped out his mind and started multiplying like gremlins. On Bad Expectation there has been a notable step up in songwriting and production that shows that maybe Punks On Mars isn’t messing around this time. But then again, who knows."- Portals Music Blog
FULL REVIEW
"A music analyst may infer Howe as some sort of current-day prodigal rock
historian, the son of a new wave-flailing baby boomer with troves of
dusty records stacked in milk crates. But it’s also fair to say that his
pop knowledge could stem from what’s he’s exclusively learned from the
small screen, of how music cross-breeds into the public image and takes a
whole new meaning... Punks on Mars like to
play make-believe, transforming their collection of ideas into the
funnest, most addictive pop romp the new wave era seemed to forget. For a
little over half an hour we’re tuning into their variety show, and they
pull all the stops out to make sure you to stick to their channel." -No Ripcord
FULL REVIEW
Other reviews:
http://austintownhall.com/2012/08/13/new-jam-from-punks-on-mars/
http://www.alteredzones.com/posts/2000/punks-mars-hey-tiffany/
http://alteredzones.com/posts/1176/punks-mars-glitter-mars/
