here’s a wave of modern rock splashing its way through the country filling up radio and television with catchy melodic rock. This new wave of pop music was brought forth by bands such as Matchbox Twenty and Third Eye Blind.

And there is more on the horizon.

Included in an even newer wave of these pop bands are groups such as Lifehouse, 3 Doors Down and Vertical Horizon. The biggest challenge lying ahead of bands like this is avoiding one-hit wonder-dom.

But Vertical Horizon has broken through with two singles from their 1999 release “Everything You Want,” including the title track and “You’re a God,” putting themselves past a mark where many bands fail.

Horizon drummer Ed Toth is talking on a cell phone on his way to Reno, Nevada, about life after bursting into the mainstream.

“It’s really cool to have a wide scope of people from different age groups and different walks of life digging on our music,” Toth says. “With [a major label] comes sort of this promotional machine which I think helped a lot to get our music to radio and being able to make a video.”

The group started out as a two-man acoustic act with guitarist Keith Kane and vocalist Matt Scannell busting through on the college scene when they were undergrads at Georgetown University.

The eventual addition of bassist Sean Hurley and Toth completed the Vertical Horizon sound and the group released three records before signing to RCA for the release of “Everything You Want.”

“We want to be able to do our thing,” Toth says of inking a major deal. “We’ll do what’s needed of us promotion-wise, but trust in us and let us do our thing.”

When the album was done, the label was surprised but excited to hear more of a modern rock sound as opposed to what Toth describes as the old-school Vertical Horizon they were expecting – a more acoustic-oriented sound.

“We feel very lucky to sort of have that creative control,” Toth says. “A lot of bands don’t get that.”

With the large amount of pop acts battling it out on the airwaves, the genre has many acts who have similar sounds. Toth says they have been compared to such acts as Live, Counting Crows and R.E.M.

“When we get mixed up with other acts, it’s usually not a result of anything that we’ve done as it is a result of radio or press,” he says.

So Toth and company have decided to stick with what works for them – making honest music.

“We’re just going to be truthful to ourselves and do what we want to do and hope that people continue to stay along for the ride,” Toth says. “If we try to be something we’re not, then we’ll be fooling ourselves and our fans aren’t idiots, they’re gonna know that.”

Vertical Horizon has been pretty much touring for 10 years, taking only small breaks for rest and recording.

“We’re technically touring `til we drop,” Toth says. “We’ll tour this record through the summer. We won’t do more than a month without taking a few days off. I think because we do it that way, we’re able to do it a little bit longer and not burn out. This record is going on two years old now.”

Because of the band’s roots in the college scene, the band members find themselves returning to those stages quite often.

“As far as playing the colleges go, if the demand is there and we can fit it in our schedule, then why not,” Toth says.

Touring plans with Barenaked Ladies in the summer occupy the Vertical Horizon calendar. Although plans for a follow-up record aren’t set in stone, visions of new music are dancing in their heads and the underlying album skeleton is already in place – as it stays consistent through all Vertical Horizon works.

“It will be based on songs, that’s our primary thing,” Toth says. “If you can’t strip a song down to just acoustic guitar or piano then why bother. The goal is to have a really good song, then mess with it in production.”

Toth admits they have already made an “Everything You Want,” so they are ready to try something else.

“I think the band will sound like the band simply because that’s who we are, but it’s going to be a fun process,” Toth says. “All of our records seem to have that element as far as being different from the one before it.”

Songwriting for Scannell and the band is usually built around relationships in one way or another, but Toth foresees a more storytelling lyrical content about what the group has experienced recently.

“We believe in honesty in the lyrics,” Toth says. “We want people to believe what we’re singing, as opposed to `I did it all for the Nookie’ or whatever. We’re just trying to write about what we know about.”

So whether it’s touring, recording or making videos with hotties like “Beverly Hills 90210” actress Tiffani Amber Thiessen, Vertical Horizon is seeing what comes from hard work and they are ready for what ever comes their way next.

“The goal now is to just keep having fun,” Toth says. “Make another record that we’re equally as proud of, and just keep doing it.”