Therapy Room Ten is one of my stand out track on On The Brink and Mark was kind enough to let us use the song on our recent CPRW Records release Not Here Not Anywhere. The song looks at folk who go to therapy and ultimately why they go, to try and feel a little hope in their lives. I feel like this is a song that plenty of people who listen to it will relate to and hopefully if you’ve been thinking about going to therapy for anything it might give you a little push to do so. Once again the whole song is full of this infectious energy and brings you along for the ride. The fourth track on the album is titled She’s Been To Reno. Unlike the previous three tracks, Mark and The Meds add a bit more rock to their sound. The guitars still buzz along but the rhythm section for the band seems to give more of a solid spine to the song and Mark’s vocals have a more serious tone to them. I think that it is sometimes difficult to add a variety of sounds to this style of pop punk music and the band do a great job of it here.
Another Case Of Lonely has a longer introduction and has an all around softer feeling to it. To me, it seems rare for a pop punk album to show this level of vulnerability but Mark wears his heart on his sleeve throughout. This track is about a relationship ending and the sad feeling of loneliness that comes from the situation. During the track, Mark sings about not expecting things to end and working hard to try and keep things together. This is another sad song that I’m sure plenty of people will relate to, which in itself is a bit sad. Up next is That Day. Continuing the theme of break-ups, on That Day Mark sings about the day of a relationship ending and the feelings that come from that. I really enjoyed the moments of spoken word during the song, it’s something a bit different that I wasn’t expecting it but I thought it worked really well in getting the emotion of the song across. There is also a great moment where the melody and tempo takes a turn, adding a bit more urgency into the track.
The seventh song on On The Brink is titled Alone Again Nor. If you’re a Teen Idols fan then you’re going to absolutely love this, I can imagine it appearing on Pucker Up or Full Leather Jacket. The intro starts quietly but soon builds and begins to pick up speed. I loved the way the guitars worked together on the introduction – great work! Of all the songs on the album I think this might have the best melodies, which is saying a lot because there are loads of great ones sprinkled generously throughout On The Brink. It’s another big ear worm and I love it. It’s also got the fist in the air quality where a crowd will shout the song right back at the band when they play live. Stupendous pop punk right here. Hardcore Four sees Mark Murphy And The Meds turn down a different path as they perform a hardcore song. It’s full throttle throughout the one minute and eighteen seconds duration with the vocals really having a lot more venom to them. After everything else that has been before it on the album, this was a surprise and a bloody nice one at that. It’s an angry song that really hits the listener hard.
The penultimate song, Candle, continues with the energy that came from Hardcore Four but returns back to the pop punk sound we’re more accustomed to. This is another absolutely delightful melody from the band and will also find a long term residence inside your brain. I think the bass playing from Lennie Spruce stands out more on Candle that it does on any other track on the album and it’s superb. We’re even treated to a bass solo in the final part of the track before we reach a final chorus. Pogoing was always a big part of pop punk back in the day and it feels as if this song was written for a giant pogo at a gig. It’s a bouncy number that does make me smile. The final track on On The Brick is Slow Worm. For this final song the band do slow things down slightly. The guitars chug and the bass has some playful riffs that move the song forward. The first couple of verses follow this pattern but when the chorus hits we’re in for a big sing-along moment. I think that this is one of the biggest sing-along sections on the whole album and I kind of wish that they had included some gang vocals to really make this pop. They do include some super sweet harmonies as the song and album comes to its final moments however.
There’s a lot of pop punk bands in the UK but not many who are doing this particular style of pop punk. When I came across the album at the end of last year, I smiled from ear to ear when listening to it. I love this sound and this is a superb version of it. I hope that On The Brink leads to a bit of a renaissance of this sound that the UK scene is severely missing. If you haven’t checked out On The Brink and are a fan of all things Lookout or bands such as Zatopeks, The Murderburgers, The Kimberly Steaks and No Matter etc. then this an album you really need in your life.
Stream and download On The Brink on Bandcamp.
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This review was written by Colin Clark.
