Album Review: The Briggs by The Briggs

Los Angeles based punk rockers The Briggs are without a doubt one of my all time favourite bands. After forming in 1999 the band went on to release four full length albums and tour with the likes of Bad Religion, Anti-Flag, Flogging Molly and the Dropkick Murphys to name just a few. After releasing Come All Madmen in 2008 the band went on Hiatus. In 2012 they emerged with the single Panic and in Spring of this year they appeared once again with a new self titled EP. I couldn't wait to check it out.

The EP begins with a song called Broken Bones and it really showcases the sound of the EP. The Briggs began life as a street punk band but as they've gotten older and matured as musicians their sound as morphed into well thought out punk rock anthems whilst managing to keep the essence of what makes The Briggs great. Broken Bones starts off very subdued with just some soft drumming and a bit of piano before we get to the first chorus and straight away it's time for everyone to sing along. I like that the band took the risk of beginning the EP with a slow paced song where many of their contemporaries would have gone for a fast pace track to kick things off. Gridlocked follows a similar structure with a slow paced beginning and a massive chorus. The song is about feeling trapped in a bad situation and finding away to escape from it. The third song Seriously, How Old Are You? starts off with a chanting like intro. With just a drum beat and some clapping Briggs front man Joey LaRocca shouts "I Can't Get My Head On Straight, I Can't Get My Head On Straight, You Would Think By Now I Would Have My Shit Together." Something all the punks could probably relate to. It's obviously all about feeling like you've been left behind by your peers because your life has gone down a different path. Questions And Answers is the slowest song on the EP and is the song that displays The Briggs more mature sound the best. It's a very accessible sound that non punk rockers will enjoy as much as the most hardened punk. The Briggs EP finishes with the song Panic that was originally released in 2012. By now the opening chords are instantly recognizable that this song already feels like a classic Briggs track. Again the chorus is massive and will have everyone at a live show lovingly shouting along with the band. My favourite part of the song happens about two thirds of the way into the track. There is a nice break down which has Joey vocals sounding almost like he is preaching to a crowd before building into one big final chorus.

It's been a very long time since The Briggs released any new material and it was definitely worth the wait. The songs display a more mature style in their writing, obviously drawing on new life experiences. Hopefully this means the band will be back on a more regular basis and fingers crossed for a UK tour sooner rather than later.....PLEASE!

 Like and follow The Briggs here: https://www.facebook.com/thebriggsmusic

Buy The Briggs here: https://thebriggs.bandcamp.com/album/the-briggs

Now listening to Something May Catch Fire by Chuck Ragan