Every Second Counts

Plain White T’s are one of those unusual success stories in which a band becomes hugely popular on the basis of a single that doesn’t really represent the band’s standard sound. Frontman Tom Higgenson wrote “Hey There Delilah” after meeting Columbia University steeplechase runner Delilah DiCrescenzo. Higgenson was smitten, and even though the two never started a romance, his song is about as sweet and true as a dedication to a newfound crush can be. It’s not hard to see why the cute, catchy ballad became popular. The rest of Every Second Counts substitutes bright power chords and lots of volume for the plaintive acoustic strumming of “Delilah,” but songs like “Our Time Now” and “Come Back To Me” capture the same youthful sentiment. While Plain White T’s will probably go down in history as the band who wrote “Delilah,” but there's enough emo-pop energy on Every Second Counts to satisfy fans of like-minded groups like Jimmy Eat World and Fall Out Boy.