Alex The Kid are a five piece punk band from the West coast of Australia. I've been aware of them since I wrote a post looking into the Australian punk rock scene and they were one of the standouts from a very good group of bands. Back in November they released a brand new EP named Straight Outta Luck on Pee Records. Featuring four new tracks, I was excited to hear what this band influenced by bands such as Iron Chic, Lifetime and Jawbreaker have been getting up to.
The EP begins with its title track, Straight Outta Luck. Wasting no time in getting started we are almost instantly greeted by lead singer James Matthews' gruff vocal as he belts out the opening lines of this melodic punk rock song. Straight Outta Luck is a song about coming to a crossroads in your life and wondering what is the best thing to do. This is hugely relatable to most punk rockers who get to a certain point and have a big think about what they are doing with their lives. Up next is When This Baby Hits 88. This song is played with a lot more intensity than the previous song and really launches the EP into life. I really liked how Alex The Kid somehow managed to combine gruff punk vocals with a skate punk style perfectly. I feel like this band will please fans of both genres of punk. The tempo at which it is played gives the song a huge amount of energy and will evoke a very passionate response from the listener.
One Day When You Hear This is the title of the third song on Straight Outta Luck. This is the biggest sing-along on the EP. As soon as Matthews began to sing I felt myself compelled to join him with my fist high in the air. The chorus in particular is insanely catchy, especially the line "do you wanna? do you wanna see me go? just say the words and I'll make it so, do you wanna? do you wanna drag me down? I try to swim but I always drown." I loved the ending of the song, first some massive gang vocals that are then joined with a harmony that sounds just incredible. The EP is finished with Nothing New. The opening verse brings a great urgency to the song but as the chorus hits the song oozes with melody and you're hooked. The song is about another failed relationship and Matthews sings about being a part of an uneven partnership. The track allows the rest of the band to show off their musical abilities with one guitar solo really standing out. Nothing New is a fine song.
Straight Outta Luck is a very fine EP. Alex The Kid still stand out in the Australian scene and I hope that more people in the UK become aware of them so they can make the trip over here at some point. Maybe bringing Nerdlinger and Flangipanis with them, that would be sweet.
Stream and download Straight Outta Luck here: https://peerecords.bandcamp.com/album/straight-outta-luck
Like Alex The Kid here: https://www.facebook.com/alexthekidrock/
This review was written by Colin Clark.
No comments:
Post a Comment