Album Review: What Did You Expect? I Got It Off The Internet! by Breakup Haircut

What Did You Expect? I Got It Off The Internet! is the debut EP from new London based band Breakup Haircut. The four piece, which consists of Delphine (lead guitar), Ishani (guitar and vocals), Ripley (bass and vocals) and Jordan (drums), play upbeat sounding catchy indie pop punk music that quickly gets stuck in your head. What Did You Expect? I Got It Off The Internet! was released in September on Hell Hath No Fury Records.

The EP begins with I (Don't) Wanna Do Things. Starting out with a thick bass line and a simple drum beat, the two guitars soon join the fray with some interesting guitar riffs. It's not a long wait before the vocals come in and begin to tell a story about finding yourself constantly being busy and wanting to relax but not feeling like you are allowed to. I was humming along to the insanely catchy chorus after just one listen of it – you will as well. I also had a lot of love for the bass solo that leads into the final section of the song. It's a great way to break the song up and the guitar riffs that come off the bass line give it a fantastic extra flavour. Up next is Why Can't I Be Cool Enough To Move To Berlin? This is another song where I found myself singing along to the chorus after just one listen – Breakup Haircut sure know how to write a catchy melody. Obviously, the song is about wanting to move to Berlin – which is understandable as it's a great city. The song starts out with just guitar and vocals for the entirety of the first verse welcoming the listener in slowly before that big catchy chorus comes in along with the entire band.

Kim Pine starts with another big bass line that gives the track a bit of a spooky beginning. Breakup Haircut slow things down considerably here and there's almost a grungey vibe to things. I'll give the band the benefit of the doubt and say that the atmospheric aura given out by the vocals was done on purpose and is nothing to do with the perhaps budget recording. Either way, it works really well and showcases a different side of the band. The penultimate song is titled Mystery Inc. Picking the pace right back up, Mystery Inc sees Breakup Haircut at their pop punk finest. The song is about life in a gang, solving spooky mysteries and trying to make time for your social life. Yes, the song is a bit silly, but that's exactly why I love it. Sometimes bands can take themselves too seriously and this is very refreshing. The final track on the EP is Mum, I Wanna Be A Greaser. Another song that doesn't take itself too seriously, this is a tongue-in-cheek song about wanting to be a greaser. If you're unaware, a greaser was the nickname for a youth culture movement in the 50s and 60s that would wear leather jackets and ride motorcycles. The second verse is the most poignant and perhaps a bit of a social comment about how boys were (and perhaps still are) allowed to do and have different things to girls just because they were boys. I love when a song, that on the surface is a little silly, really starts to make you think.

This is a fantastic debut EP from Breakup Haircut. Despite some questionable recording quality, there's a batch of five really solid songs here and a whole load of potential. I'm really looking forward to seeing how Breakup Haircut progress over the next couple of years.

Stream and download What Did You Expect? I Got It Off The Internet! here: https://breakuphaircut.bandcamp.com/album/what-did-you-expect-i-got-it-off-the-internet

Like Breakup Haircut here: https://www.facebook.com/breakuphaircut

This review was written by Colin Clark.