Album Review: Stork Bite by Crafting Lies

Crafting Lies are a four piece band from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada – the country where so much of the best punk rock comes from. The band play high energy punk rock that toes the line perfectly between pop punk and melodic punk that leaves you feeling pumped up and ready to get a bit rowdy at a show. In April, the band released their debut six track EP which is titled Stork Bite. I’m always excited to check out new Canadian bands so was pleased to find time to work on this review.

The first of the six songs is titled Alive. This is a nice positive song to start the EP. It’s about fighting against the darkness and living your life to the fullest. The chorus is packed with gang vocals which will encourage people to sing-along with the song and be united in the struggle against bad mental health. It’ll help folk realise they are not alone and that’s important. The song really comes alive during its chorus and is the definite high point of the track. Up next is Carbon Monoxide Dreams. This was one of the standout tracks on Stork Bite when I first listened to it. The track starts with a pounding drumbeat that really makes you pay attention and when the chorus hits you’re really hooked in. The track is about the relationship between a person and their car. Often it’s more trouble than it’s worth but the feeling of freedom it gives you and the relationship you build with it make it very special.

The third track is Clear Vision. This track is about finding a way through the fog that is life and, no matter how often you might get lost, you have a plan on how you can get there in the end. The song starts with a slow and methodical build before we get to the verse. The way in which the vocals are delivered on both verses are my highlights of the track. They really make you listen to every lyric because of this interesting melody. Nothing Left is another positive and powerful song. It starts out quite slowly and is a bit more subdued, talking about feeling like you’re at the end of your tether mentally. When the chorus kicks in the song explodes into life and the song becomes an anthem for continuing to fight back until there’s no fight left in you. The contrasting halves of the song do a fantastic job of making the song really stand out. The passion that the chorus in particular is sung with was extremely moving.

The penultimate song is titled Six Feet Deep. This track brings the energy and tempo back up. Beginning with some beating drum sticks before some call and response vocals come in followed by the full band. This is the first time on Stork Bite that Crafting Lies really make use of the call and response technique and I found that it added a wonderful extra element to their sound. Stork Bite is concluded with Hang It Up. This track shows off a completely different side of Crafting Lies. The first half of the track is completely acoustic. As the song moves forward it gradually builds towards a big finish where the whole band come in. This makes for a very emotional ending. The track is about the difficult dilemma every musician goes through – whether to keep pursuing your dreams or giving it up for a more stable life. Vocally you can really hear the hurt in the singer’s voice. What a way to finish the EP.

I’ve said a million times on CPRW that Canada is a conveyor belt of brilliant bands. Crafting Lies are yet another one to add to that list. Smart, positive and relatable punk rock that will have you smiling, thinking and feeling things. I feel like it won’t be too long before a lot of people in the scene are talking about this band. If you’re already a fan of PUP or The Penske File then you’ll love Crafting Lies.

Stream and download Stork Bite on Bandcamp here.

Like Crafting Lies on Facebook here.

This review was written by Colin Clark.