Album Review: Rantallion by Larrakia (by Dan Peters)

I was a big big fan of the self titled EP Larrakia put out last year. With such an incredible talent pool at the top of the UKs melodic harcore/skate punk scene it’s getting harder and harder to stand out but this is a band managed it with aplomb in three short songs. In part due to sucha strong opening bid I’m going into Rantallion, the brand new offering, with a healthy critical view. Larrakia were easily in my top five bands last year and I’m hoping I’m not disappointed.

So straight off the bat I can tell comparisons to their previous work will be unfair. This is it’s own beast in about all but the band name. The tone of the band has noticeably shifted onto a darker more hardcore road. Still present are the on point vocal melodies and harmonies, along with the catchy hooks I recognize from before. There is a lot more on the hardcore side here with heavy use of dirty vocals throughout and the patented Melodic Hardcore pseudo metal riffage is prevalent through out.

We’ve established now that we’re dealing with something different here but the question on everyones lips is no doubt “Is it good though?” and those of you who would ask that I would roll my eyes and say “what do you think”. Larrakia have been going from strength to strength to strength over the last year, touring with a veritable whos who of punk rock royalty and they show no signs of slowing. This EP is stellar on every level. The new tone cements them as a relevant and technically incredible band without losing any of the charm and fun that first made me fall in love with them in the first place. Taking a big tonal shift can be a huge gamble but it’s paid off with dividends for Larrakia. They are real contenders for best band in the UK.

In conclusion for the TL;DR crowd this is a stellar offering from a band destined to do incredible things for UK music. If you’re a Propaghandi fan then this is will something you can’t live without. For everyone else that isn’t (and what’s wrong with you) it’s time to pay attention now to these guys before they hit the big time and you’re left in the dust.

Pre-order Rantallion here: https://disconnectdisconnectrecords.bandcamp.com/album/rantallion

Like Larrakia here: https://www.facebook.com/larrakia/