Robyn Writes

From Afar – Atheoryforyou [EP]

From Afar are apparently strangers to correct punctuation. Their short and sweet EP Atheoryforyou is testament to that (although it appears, thanks to Facebook, that their actual band name has had a necessary space injected into it). Thankfully, Atheoryforyou is more significant than just grammatical error. A thrilling tribute to the post-hardcore scene of the early 2000s, From Afar have confidence and killer riffs abound.

Opening track Rome is certainly reminiscent of early Finch meeting up with The Fall Of Troy for shots and falling on the floor of a bar operated by Funeral For A Friend. Vocalist Lance immediately sets himself up as the major highlight of the EP – his voice has excellent tone and range, as well as being far more powerful than most in the genre. The slower sections of the track are most impressive, possessing a beautiful melody, but the growled interjections carry a feeling of rising anger and a notion of greater depth. It’s certainly a brilliant start to the EP and perhaps the most impressive track the band have to offer so far.

Burning Trees is far less impressive than its predecessor. It opens with a more dischordant riff, which jars slightly. There is far less of a feeling of technical control in Burning Trees, which begins to feel like two separate songs midway through. There are certainly effective elements – each growled verse is crushing and the clean chorus is one of the powerful parts of the EP – but it confounds more than illuminates. That said, the breakdown at the end is positively bloodcurdling.

Bastard Son brings the EP back on track though. It possesses the complexity that Burning Trees has but utilises it far better. The middle instrumental section is deceptively sedate before throwing itself wholeheartedly into a crushing chorus of ‘bastard son!’. Indeed, Bastard Son potentially shows off From Afar’s musical prowess best as they knit together high-octane riffs and echoing, atmospheric chords with ease. Building up to a damning crescendo, the EP ends on a triumph.

From Afar are definitely one to watch. While the release isn’t quite perfect yet, there’s a huge amount of potential here because the parts that do work are positively explosive.

3.5 out of 5 high fives!

Singles Roundup (June 2012)

This week, we’ve had a veritable feast of singles headed our way. This is what we thought…

This Year’s Winner Is – When In Rome (2.5/5)
Isle of Man pop-punkers This Year’s Winner Is haven’t quite hit home with their latest single. Woefully underproduced, they’ve let themselves down with a fuzzy, fairly unintelligible track. If you strain closely, there are some very catchy verses, some fun breakdowns a la Set Your Goals and some cracking, yet highly Americanised (though not whiny!) vocals but it’s just really hard to hear all those elements without turning the volume right up and trying to sift through the crackling, even on decent quality headphones. Here’s hoping their next affair is a lot better mixed, as they show potential and the score would have been a fair bit higher if I could easily tell what was going on.

The Roughneck Riot – Ignorance Is Easy (4/5)
The latest offering from The Roughneck Riot hits you with a bang. Taking a departure from the typical folk-punk formula, they fuse both genres effortlessly without compromising either. It’s great to hear some electric guitars getting involved, I have to say. There’s an awesome banjo solo about midway through and some brilliantly aggressive vocals forcing you to get up and get busy. A fantastic idea of what’s to come from the debut album, The Roughneck Riot have got it down.

Jaya The Cat – Here Come The Drums (4/5)

Despite the reggae influence, Jaya The Cat’s latest single is in no way chilled out, instead becoming a rousing battlecry. There’s definitely some cool keyboard coming through, but the real highlight of the song is the simple, yet anthemic chorus – lots of na’s, lots of drums, lots of awesome. The instrumental section in the middle is also pretty rad with some sweet distortion effects and overall, bound to get you dancing down the front. No doubt I’ll be singing this for days, Here Come The Drums is definitely my single of the week.

Bangers – Good Livin’ [EP]


(Click to be taken to Bangers’ Bandcamp page)

Good Livin’, the latest EP from Bangers clocks in at about 11 minutes. It doesn’t seem like a long period of time, but it’s just enough. The Cornish trio are set for big things, recently scoring a support slot with Blink-182 at their upcoming show at the Eden Project, but is Good Livin’ able to measure up?

The short answer is a huge, resounding yes. Bangers have certainly crafted a fine release. Upon first listen, it’s impossible to not smile. Every track sounds uplifting and yet, unrelenting. In particular, opening track Good Good Livin’ achieves this with the definite potential for a massive singalong chorus and some cheeky palm muting. The Borrowers is slightly more aggressive in its tone but still features some great lead guitar at the start and a clever, intricate instrumental section towards the end. As I said in my review of Crash Doubt, Bangers are excellent musicians – living proof that punk rock doesn’t need to be three chords and some shitty distortion. The Mitigation Committee features yet another brilliant instrumental section and some sweet tempo changes, as well as some nicely done dual vocals that almost become like gang vocals because they sound so impassioned. A Man Like Jack McCall takes a slight change in direction – a much slower pace – but still features some killer woahs to create a superb ending track.

But upon a second listen, Bangers hit a totally different mark. Economic crisis, the problems of working yourself to the bone, feelings of inadequacy and rising above those feelings, as well as feeling like an outsider and an overwhelming fear of succumbing to the idiocy of the masses. All of this bubbles under the surface, the lyrics often hidden under the power of the vocals. While Bangers can craft a decent tune, they also write songs that resonate deep within. The metaphors they use mean that these songs will be relevant for a long time to come, not just within our current climate. It’s seriously clever stuff, but not alienating in any way – at the heart of it, it’s just good honest punk rock.

If you in any way, shape or form, love melodic punk rock, then it’s certainly a crime not to check out the new Bangers release. If you love good music, then it’s even more of a crime not to pick it up.

4.5 out of 5 high fives!

Take One Car – It’s Going To Be A Nice Day



Take One Car’s sophomore release is ambitious, to say the least. But the upstate NY four-piece seem to have struck gold. It’s Going To Be A Nice Day is a blistering journey through several musical territories – post-hardcore, indie and atmospheric rock, to name but a few. And for the most part, it’s a thoroughly exciting ride.

Taking a bit of a gamble, the opening titular track is completely instrumental, clocking in at just over seven minutes. However, the band keep it varied enough and effectively manage to showcase the best parts of their sound in one go. That said, it doesn’t necessarily let you in on what’s coming next – following track and first single Dear Ronnie certainly follows suit but I Know Why You Went Into The Woods is a terrifically eerie affair with an absolute stomper of an intro, very unlike any other track on the release. That’s not to say that other tracks have no lasting, haunting quality at all – Tyler Irish’s half-spoken, half-screamed vocals give that feeling throughout. Most of the time, this works well but occasionally, I found myself longing for a more tuneful approach, especially when teased with it in So Much In Return.

The musicality of the album is incredible. Take One Car are an extremely talented unit. There are some great riffs dotted throughout, demonstrating that rocky feel, and Virtue in particular begins with some absolute swagger. However, the most impressive part of the album is the atmosphere that they manage to create. Every song, at some point, feels epic. Drawing from post-rock, dual sweeping guitars makes their way to the forefront, but Branden Waite’s bass gives it a kick to make sure it doesn’t get boring. The band experiment with different styles – The Ocean Song has a dark country feel to it, whereas Dear Ronnie sounds akin to Underoath’s earlier output in place. They all seem natural though and each song flows together beautifully.

Lyrically, the album feels like a grand concept of some kind. While not officially a concept album, the lyrics spin tales of sorrow and longing, and of death as well, while feeling as if they’re all part of one big story. In final song Is The Best Way To Die, a fantastic lament on the fragility of life, there are a vast array of great lines – the wonderfully morbid “You’ll one day rot into me and that’s as close as we will be” being one of my favourites. There’s good writing all throughout the album, but particularly in The Ocean Song as well.

The album does have faults – though they are few and far between. Towards the end of the album, the songs begin to follow a typical formula; great intro, the vocals kick in with the same shouted tone and then a long instrumental section follows. The craft in each individual component is excellent, but the songs themselves start to feel too similar to each other. Thankfully, it doesn’t last too long as the final two tracks bring back some more variety. There are also a few too many long instrumental sections put close together – for example, Patriarchs, a purely instrumental track, comes far too early; especially given that only a few songs before it was the long instrumental intro. That said, these are only minor issues and don’t completely detract to what is otherwise an intriguing and complex musical experience.

It’s Going To Be A Nice Day is a triumph for Take One Car. As said on their website, “We have spent the last year working, pretty much non stop, on making it an album that “WE” love…an album we would listen to.” And it’s certainly paid off – they should indeed be proud of their creation.

4 out of 5 high fives!

Above The Underground – Autumns [EP]




(Click the pic to download!)

One of Lazy Bear’s latest free(!) releases, Cheshire lads Above The Underground have come out swinging with their latest EP, Autumns. A rip roaring affair, ATU navigate the murky waters of the pop-punk genre with ease.

Straight off, Anchors, a track included on Lazy Bear’s previous compilation, grabs you by the throat and tosses you across the room with its passion and aggression. Some incredible gang vocals, which feature strongly through the rest of the EP, kick this song into gear and the intensity doesn’t let up at all. For All It’s Worth is strongly reminiscent of early Northstar – catchy choruses, a few great woah’s and a melody that’ll stick in your head for days. And yet, my favourite track of the EP is Under The Weather. Guaranteed to be the unsung hit of the year, it features some awesome drums, some killer hooks and breakdowns that’ll have you bouncing off the walls.

While ATU have found their formula and know what works, they’re not exactly averse to some experimentation either. Lights is an atmospheric interlude, showing off what effects the band has managed to master. Don’t be fooled though, it pays off for what makes a great intro into Close Your Eyes And Drive. The aforementioned track is a great one, but it’s where the EP should have ended. Final track, MMIX features some incredibly repetitive and rudimentary piano which jars with the guitars. The track just feels so much different to the rest of the EP and would better have been included in a full length album.

While the EP wears its influences on its sleeve (many tracks sounding fairly akin to You Me At Six, Northstar and New Found Glory), Autumns is still a fantastic release and in many ways, its familiarity makes it all the more endearing. Perfect to brighten up this (so far) weary, rainy June, Above The Underground certainly deserve your time and your love.

4 out of 5 high fives!