at a time, only for him to come back and a scrap everything he did. Additional recording was done at Select Sound (in Buffalo, New York) and Studio West (in San Diego, California) with Angelo Caruso. The sessions lasted a year to a year-and-a-half, eventually concluding in February 2002. Bouvier said the long process was due to a clash of opinions between the band and Lanni: "He came from a different world than we did, and he wanted to push the quirky, pop side of what we were doing. We were more of the pop-punk guys that wanted to keep it a little more simple." Lanni wanted Bouvier to sound more whiny, which Lanni felt would help the band sound more unique; Bouvier later regretted this. Caruso, Al-Hillal and Dom Condo did digital editing, before the tracks were mastered by George Marino at Sterling Sound in New York City. Composition Musically, No Pads, No Helmets...Just Balls has been described as pop punk, drawing comparisons to Blink-182, Good Charlotte and New Found Glory. The album's predominant theme revolves around being an outcast. The material was written in Comeau's basement; Bouvier said they wanted every track to have "[l]ots of power, energy and catchiness." The opening track "I'd Do Anything" was one of the first songs written for inclusion on the album, and includes Mark Hoppus of Blink-182 doing back-up vocals. The members had become friends with Blink-182 when Reset opened a show for them in 1997, and subsequently stayed in contact. The narrator reminisces about a girl from high school later in life, and wondering if life would be different if they stayed with her. It is followed by "The Worst Day Ever", which sees Bouvier talk about the worst day he's experienced. Joel Madden of Good Charlotte provided back-up vocals for "You Don't Mean Anything". Bouvier said he and Comeau wrote "I'm Just a Kid" about how they felt when they attending high school, namely "feel[ing] like it's the end of the world". Lanni contributed piano to "Meet You There". With "My Alien", the narrator divulges his relationship with an extraterrestrial. Discussing the closing track "Perfect", Bouvier said it was about parents wanting and expecting a lot from their children, such as pushing them into careers they don't want. Release Partway through the recording sessions, they signed to major label Atlantic Records in October 2001. "I'm Just a Kid" was