Album Review: Iconic Seducer by Lost Twenties

Lost Twenties are a three piece band from Keighley who formed in 2016. Consisting of Jay Turner (guitar/vocals), Syllene McIntosh (bass) and Stephen Tomlinson (drums), the trio released their debut album in February. Titled Iconic Seducer, it was recorded by Kurt Wood and released on One Step Outside Records.

Iconic Seducer begins with the song Best Thing I Ever Did. This track sets a bit of a template of what to expect from Lost Twenties – Weezer-esque indie pop punk music. Starting out with a jangly guitar sound backed by some methodical bass and drum lines, the song quickly feels playful. Turner's vocals are clear, making the song super accessible. It's a mid-tempo track that almost feels as if Turner is being autobiographical during the song as he laments life at work. Up next is What Better Way?. This song has a slightly darker tone with the playful guitar lines gone. It was interesting to hear Lost Twenties switch from their more upbeat sound so early on. Despite the moody sound, the song is really catchy, particularly the chorus of "what better way, what better way, to take me as you find me, what better way, what better way, to creep up behind me." I Don't Know retains that moodiness but instantly picks the tempo back up. The song is about struggling with your identity and where you fit in to a social situation. Lost Twenties seem to slide towards a grungey style on this song which keeps it interesting.

The fourth song Outside is really lengthy (particularly for someone who is used to less than three minute punk songs) at five minutes and thirty-nine seconds long. This really allows for the band to show off their skills, particularly with the long musical interlude that finishes the song. It's a great guitar solo and I really loved the dirty recording style that is used, it gives the song a raw feel. This Current State begins with a marching drum beat giving things an air of importance before the jangly guitar returns. The track builds nicely throughout the first verse before things really threaten to explode during the chorus. It doesn't quite feel like it gets to its climax before calming back down. This happens a couple of times during the track and definitely leaves you wanting more. End Of The World is another over five minute long track that allows the band to do some experimental stuff with their sound. McIntosh's bass is at the forefront at the beginning of the song and plays a prominent roll throughout. The way that Turner delivers his vocals has you really wanting to head bang along, despite not really being that heavy of a song. This, for me, was one of the big highlights of the entire album. Much like Outside, the track is completed with a long instrumental section before we get another delightful headbanging finale. Despite not being of the highest of tempo, the song gives you plenty of energy.

The Main Event starts out with a juicy bass line before transitioning into an indie rock song that harks back to the early 2000s. For the most part the song's greatness lies in its simplicity, aside from that bass line and a whirly guitar part that finishes the song. The upbeat nature of the vocals give the track a poppier feel that put a smile on my face. One Day Away continues the pop vibes. For me, this is when Late Twenties are at their best. It's up-tempo and bouncy in a way that really gets you moving. Of course, it's the chorus that really stands out as Turner sings "we are shallow, live in shadow, one day away from all this." The track is about being stuck in your hometown and feeling unable to get out and chase your dreams. Things are slowed back down on the ninth song, Mutual Indifference. It's another five minute long song that plods along without really hitting any big heights. There are moments when you feel like it might be building to something bigger but unfortunately that never really happens. The song is about being in a relationship that you know is beginning to come to its conclusion but neither party wanting to make the first move to end things. There's a moody feeling on this grungy track.

The tenth song on Iconic Seducer is titled There Is No Danger. Picking things back up, this is a much faster song that has that infectious energy that I love so much. The build at the beginning of the track really pulled me in and once things really get going I'm yearning to have a sing-along. The song is about being scared to try things with Turner trying to convince the listener that everything will be okay and it's always worth a go. The penultimate song on the album in named This Archipelago. Those fun jangly guitars are back one more time, somehow giving the album a fresh feel despite having heard them earlier on the album. I guess that is the importance of an album's running order! I had to Google what exactly Archipelago means – it turns out it's the name for an extensive group of islands. The track is about looking for a new life away from where you currently reside, hoping to find somewhere better. The final song is Dinosaur. This song is a social commentary about the old fashioned thoughts and policies of the older generation being outdated and trying to get away from them. This is another of the big highlights from Iconic Seducer and is a song that I'm sure most people listening will really relate with. The drums and bass give the song a solid spine while the guitar is at its playful best, seemingly wandering off and playing its own melody on a few occasions. Perhaps this is a clever musical metaphor for the thought process in the song or perhaps I'm thinking too deeply about it. Either way I really enjoyed it. Dinosaur is a fitting way to finish the album.

This isn't the genre I'd normally listen to but I do think it's important to, on occasion, explore genres outside of your usual favourites. Sometimes you'll find some hidden gems – like Iconic Seducer.

Stream and download Iconic Seducer here: https://onestepoutside.bandcamp.com/album/iconic-seducer

Like Lost Twenties here: https://www.facebook.com/losttwenties/

This review was written by Colin Clark.

Album Review: Swashbuckle & Swagger by Pirate Copy (by Lee Morton)

It’s not often you hear the words punk and pirates in the same sentence but that could all change with the debut album, “Swashbuckle & Swagger”, from Cornish crew Pirate Copy. Transferring a riotous live sound to track is never easy but this album is a treasure chest of party anthems, rock ’n’ roll groove, rum and buccaneering spirit.

It’s not all plain sailing though as the piratical flavour doesn’t always work but when it does on songs like “Somalian Pirates Suck”, “The Crew” or legendary set closer “I’m On A Boat” you get swept along on a sea of gang chants, brotherhood and good old fashioned fun.

“Legends Of The Afterparty” kicks us off in style and sets out their stall from the off. Dirty garage style punk that’s packed with riffs to spare, rumbling basslines and infectious singalong choruses all combine and create the perfect storm of punk rock anarchy.

“All Drunks On Deck” takes the party spirit further in a song about where all the rum has gone, which is enhanced with a lyric video released in advance of the album. It’s a raging fist pumping drinking anthem that’s sure to go down a storm in their live set.

“Dead Man’s Dance” is more restrained but set against the other songs here it doesn’t really work. A case of more stagger than swagger and likewise “I Ate My Mate” is a childish singalong ditty that whilst has a couple of humorous lyrics doesn’t grab your attention in the same way. Fortunately sandwiched between these two stale bits of bread is the very tasty morsel of “Somalian Pirates Suck” which rampages along like Motorhead if they drank rum instead of whiskey but with added pop sensibility as the gang chants of “whoa whoa whoa” draw you to the rocks like a sirens call, all over a filthy groove that will live in your ears for weeks.

The second half of this album is really strong with “Outlaw Pirates”, with its buzzing guitars being the precursor to another earworm of a chorus whilst “Water Water Everywhere” starts slowly with a monster rock n roll groove reminiscent of Kvelertak, interspersed with faster verses with guitars layered on top of each other creating a tsunami of sound.

“Kicked Out The Pub” works where “Dead Man’s Dance” and “I Ate My Mate” failed, combining humour, piracy and rock ’n’ roll in a more coherent groove with another massive singalong chorus. And sure to be a live favourite “The Crew” takes elements of the hardcore fraternity, with its group vocals and gang mentality of togetherness, that is the very definition of swashbuckle and swagger.

Penultimate track “I’m On A Boat” is already a live favourite and it’s easy to see why, a raucous track that doesn’t let up for one minute as guitar riffs rain down over some pummelling drum beats. It’s frantic and exhilarating stuff that races away to a chaotic climatic finish. Breathless stuff.

All of which makes final song, “Punk Rock Pirates”, seem a little safe in comparison, although it still retains their unique sound I feel that it would have been better served further down the track listing.

It may be a niche sound, but there’s no doubting the quality of most of the songs here and you certainly don’t need a treasure map to strike gold with a number of real standout songs so grab yourself a bottle of rum and get ready to sail the seven seas.

Like Pirate Copy here: https://www.facebook.com/piratecopyband/

This review was written by Lee Morton.

Album Review: To The Robot Graveyard by We Found A Map

We Found A Map are a skate punk band from Southern Californian featuring long time friends Grant (guitar & vocals), James (bass & vocals) and Bahrum (drums). I stumbled upon them via Bandcamp, instantly attracted to the awesome artwork for their new EP To The Robot Graveyard. Naturally I clicked play to see if there was substance to go along with the beauty. He's what I found.

To The Robot Graveyard begins with the song Captain Lily. The track starts with some atmospheric music that sounds like a movie score. This makes sense when you find out that We Found A Map have a bit of a science fiction theme to their music. After this introduction we are greeted with a mid tempo skate punk track which I think is about the heroine from the popular computer game Runescape. Once the song really kicks in, it's filled with energy and the way in which the vocals are delivered has you wanting to sing along with the band. With a pounding drum beat and plenty of harmonies, this is exactly what I enjoy from a skate punk song. The urge to want to sing along continues on the next song, Zelda Is A Girl. Musically it's a little softer, focusing more on melody than exploding with energy. This song sees We Found A Map take on the role of Link from the Legend Of Zelda franchise and explore his thoughts about Zelda and the tumultuous relationship they have. The harmonies towards the end of the track really have me thinking of So Cal skate punk legends No Use For A Name.

The third song on To The Robot Graveyard is named Stoic. The track starts with a short building section where all the instruments get to shine, along with some added electronic music that adds to the atmosphere of the opening. When the vocals come in there is a feeling of seriousness and one of We Found A Map aren't playing around here. Stoic is about how selfish and destructive the human race are and how it doesn't seem to affect people like it should. The song finishes with a long instrumental that is again like a movie score. This leads into the penultimate song All Of Them… Witches! This is a sombre feeling song that takes some time to really hit its heights. The build is slow and subtle but when it hits it is certainly worth the wait. The track is about wanting someone to change their wicked ways but not having any faith that it will happen. The final song on the EP is Royal Blue. The intro of the song grabbed me in a big way, starting with more of that movie score style instrumental before the band come in with more of a pop punk feel. When the vocals eventually come in you are fully invested in the song. Royal Blue looks at the pressure team sports puts on you and how you can be forced into doing something you don't love just because you happen to be good at it. I really like this as a song topic, it's pretty unique and really well done. This was a great way to finish the EP.

To The Robot Graveyard is a little different to a lot of skate punk that I'd usually listen to but I really enjoyed it. The differences give it a fresh feeling as well as a uniqueness. I'm really impressed with We Found A Map's ability as lyricists – some of the lyrics are captivating. If you love skate punk but want to try something a little different then this is one for you.

Stream and download To The Robot Graveyard here: https://wefoundamap.bandcamp.com/

Like We Found A Map here: https://www.facebook.com/WeFoundAMap/

This review was written by Colin Clark.

Album Review: Mass Extinction Split by Stöj Snak and Speed Dinosaurs (by Emma Prew)

Denmark’s 5FeetUnder Records and the UK’s TNS Records have joined forces to release a brand new split 7 inch that I’m very excited about. Titled Mass Extinction, this split sees Danish screamer-songwriter, and CPRW favourites, Stöj Snak team up with Leeds based folk punk trio Speed Dinosaurs to address the topic of ecological disasters caused by humans. It sounds like it could be a pretty heavy topic for an acoustic punk EP but it’s also an important one that people, myself included, need to be informed about.

‘The Mass Extinction Split came about when John [Speed Dinosaurs] wrote a new song explaining what fracking is and how it works. Niels from Stöj Snak, was at the time writing songs for the band's coming full length record had a few spare songs with many of the same themes, so when he heard a demo of John's song by accident got in touch to suggest a collaboration making an ecology / dinosaur themed split record. The overarching theme of the record is ecological disaster caused by humans. A theme that is touched upon from a few different angles – some quite serious and a few a little more humorous.’

Each band has three songs on the Mass Extinction Split and the first half comes from Stöj Snak. Kicking things off with Drink From The Well, we are instantly greeted by an upbeat combination of instruments from the Stöj Snak ensemble – including but not limited to harmonica, acoustic guitar and organ. It’s a head-nodder that you could be mistaken for thinking is a carefree and happy tune. Of course, we know the theme of this release. Drink From The Well is about how we humans are too busy mass consuming to realise that perhaps we need to take a step back and attempt to live more sustainably. It might seem okay for us now (it’s not) but what will future generations say? – ‘We've poisoned the waters and ruined the crops so what do we say our kids turn to us, And ask us to justify all this mess – they will reap what we sow.’ Drink From The Well featured fairly clean vocals from self-named screamer-songwriter Niels Sørensen but this next song shows off a little of his hardcore roots. Apex Predator is a 45 second fast and furious folk punk track about, well, quite simply how fucked we are on this planet. Without listening to the song you might think that the ‘apex predator’ in question would be a dinosaur – especially given the split’s cover artwork – but I’m afraid we humans are the apex predator, ‘hunting for frozen food’ and just generally destroying the planet that we and millions of other species live on. Starting with a vocal style that sounds like it could well be being sung through a megaphone, Cosmic Irony, the song that closes the Stöj Snak half of the Mass Extinction Split, instantly has your attention. This is a catchy and upbeat tune that doesn’t really sound quite like anything Stöj Snak have done before – in a good way. It certainly packs a punch. Cosmic Irony is about how if we treated environmental disaster as a war, or a ‘threat from a foreign nation’, then people might actually pay attention and start doing something about it. ‘It’s time to change the tide so it won’t kill us, And turn these good intentions into ways, We’ve got a fucking war to win.’ 

With the second half of this split I must admit to never having listened to Speed Dinosaurs before and so I didn’t really know what to expect. First up is a ukulele driven, highly informative song about and titled Fracking. My first thought was that Speed Dinosaurs need to play this song in schools so that kids can understand this critical ecological issue. Then I realised that it’s obviously not just kids that need to know about this – everyone does. The song is delivered in a fun and seemingly humorous way which, in a way, improves the effectiveness of the message. ‘So put the pressure on, the government are wrong, they have lackeys, but we have right on our side, Do what you can to cause a fracking ban – create a future from which you don’t wanna hide. Stand side by side.’ Similarly to the Stöj Snak half of the split, the second song of the Speed Dinosaurs side is a short, fast and chaotic track. Triceratops, in contrast to earlier songs, is definitely a track that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Sure, it’s still informative with no less than three lines to the song explaining what a triceratops is (or was) but it’s also a bit silly. The triceratops happens to be my favourite dinosaur so this 35 second song goes down very well with me. Bringing the split to its conclusion is the song which gives the record its name, The Biggest Mass Extinction. This is another track that feels like a science lesson or perhaps more specifically a geology lesson since Speed Dinosaurs’ Jonathan is a geologist by trade. The Biggest Mass Extinction is about how the dinosaurs were not, as many people would believe, involved in the biggest mass extinction of all time. Musically the song has a distinct feeling of rockabilly to it with deep, theatrical vocals not sounding too unlike Elvis. Again, it’s fun but also delivers a significant message.

The Mass Extinction Split will be available on marbled magenta and white 7" vinyl and digital download through 5FeetUnder Records and TNS Records from the 19th of April. This is also the Friday of Manchester Punk Festival where both bands will be appearing at Brickhouse Social – check them out there if you can, you will not be disappointed!

Be sure to like Stöj Snak and Speed Dinosaurs on their respective Facebook pages, as well as checking out each on Bandcamp (here and here).

This review was written by Emma Prew.

Top Tens: Robyn's Top Ten Bands To See At Manchester Punk Festival 2019

Despite all the curveballs that life has thrown at me in the past few months, the stars have finally aligned and the punk gods have smiled upon me, and I am going to Manchester Punk Festival this year! My experience of the festival last year was just phenomenal. Brett and I were both really impressed by the smooth organization of the event, the awesome musical acts, and the lovely people of the UK DIY punk scene. There were so many standout performances last year that I don’t think I could pick a favourite, but another big part of what made MPF 2018 so great was getting to hang out with Colin and Emma, so it’ll also be awesome to see them again. This year, MPF boasts another stellar line-up and these are just some of the acts that I’m really excited to see.

Suggested Friends (Friday at The Bread Shed 14:30–15:00)
One of the first bands opening up the weekend on Friday is Suggested Friends, a self-described “small choir of mostly lesbians” who play bright indie-pop-punk jams with catchy melodies and sincere lyrics. There was always a good chance I was going to like this band considering their Harry Potter and cat inspired song titles (both ‘I Don’t Want to Be a Horcrux For Your Soul’ and ‘Menagerie of Cats’ are excellent tracks off of their self-titled album), but their warm and playful music is also highly enjoyable and this set promises to be an excellent start to the MPF weekend.

Big Joanie (Friday at The Bread Shed 16:10–16:40)
One of the scheduling dilemmas I’m really bummed about is the clash between Big Joanie and Call Me Malcolm. People of colour are still a rarity in punk bands, and when I found a band headed up by three black women who speak proudly about the space that punk opens up to clap back at white patriarchy and explore black feminism I knew I had to check them out. I was really impressed with their debut album Sistahs, which I’ve been listening to for a while. The songs are self-assured and uncompromising, with a raw and slightly disjointed sound. I’m going to try and catch the beginning or the end of this set, and you’ll definitely find me at the merch table to pick up a shirt and hopefully a copy of the album.

Call Me Malcolm (Friday at Gorilla 16:10–16:40)
I think it’s safe to say that Call Me Malcolm’s I Was Broken When You Got Here was one of the best albums released last year, and I am so ready to skank and twirl along to these songs live. I know that Colin and Emma are also stoked for this set, and I’m anticipating a sharp pang of happiness when we all get to sing along to Call Me Malcolm’s runaway single ‘All My Nameless Friends’. Even if this song has managed to fall out of their set, I’ll be so happy to see these guys play.

Above Them (Friday at Rebellion 23:00–23:30)
After parties are a big part of MPF, and this year Rebellion will function solely as an after party venue. First up at Rebellion on Friday is West Yorkshire band Above Them, who play just my kind of gritty melodic punk and are reforming to play the festival. The band’s recorded sound is pretty raw and full-bodied, so I’m expecting a similar live experience. Specialist Subject Records also recently re-released their album Water Lane on vinyl, so I’m sure there’ll be a few spare copies lying around.

Tom May and Roger Harvey (Saturday at Brickhouse Social 18:30–19:30)
Tom May is usually known for playing guitar and sharing vocal duties with Greg Barnett in The Menzingers, but he’s coming to MPF on his own and teaming up with fellow Pennsylvanian Roger Harvey (of White Wives) to play a unique set ‘of songs and stories’ at Brickhouse Social. Many years ago, before On The Impossible Past had even been released, Brett and I narrowly missed out on seeing Greg and Tom play an acoustic show at Fest 10 (because, exhaustion). So, it’s great to get another chance to see Tom play in a more intimate setting and I’m really keen to see the performance that he and Roger have put together.

Smoke or Fire (Saturday at The Union 20:10–21:00)
The announcement that Boston punks Smoke or Fire would be playing MPF this year was a lovely surprise. I’ve only seen them once before, at Fest 10, where they put on a fantastic show at the Florida Theatre. The band really established itself with the album Above The City and the single ‘California’s Burning’, but they’ve gone on to have many other hits and their 2007 release This Sinking Ship is easily one of my all-time favourite albums, so I’m super excited to see them again.

Cheerbleederz (Sunday at Gorilla 14:30–15:00)
Cheerbleederz is a bit of a supergroup, comprised of Phoebe Cross from Happy Accidents, Kathryn Woods of Fresh, and Final Flag’s Sophie Mackenzie. This new project has been on my radar since Cheerbleederz released their first single ‘Cabin Fever’, and their debut EP Faceplant has been on repeat in my car for weeks now. It’s clear that these three pals really enjoy playing music together, and I love the contrast between the angsty song lyrics and the band’s cheery pop-punk sound. So, this set is a definite must-see.

Cherym (Sunday at Gorilla 15:20–15:50)
Cherym are another female pop-punk trio, this time from the North of Ireland, and they are probably my favourite MPF find. I stumbled across their single ‘Take It Back’ on an MPF playlist, and since then I’ve been jamming to every Cherym song I can get my hands on. Their Mouthbreathers EP is excellent (I especially like the track ‘Telepathic Kelly’) as is their new single ‘Super Queens’, with all of their songs delivering gorgeous bass lines, sharp riffs, and punchy vocals. Cherym play right after Cheerbleederz at Gorilla on Sunday, so I also have the added bonus of not having to change venues.

The Human Project (Sunday at Gorilla 18:50–19:30)
Going into this year’s MPF, I was easily the most hyped about seeing The Human Project, followed closely by Fresh. So, I’m devastated that these two bands end up clashing and I am silently cursing my relatively diverse taste in music (I doubt the choice between Fresh and THP will be that difficult for many other people, so I do understand why the organisers would put these two bands on at the same time, even if it does make me sad). I will have to make some serious choices about how much of each band I can realistically catch, but for the sake of this top ten I’m going to write about both.

The Human Project play some truly lovely melodic hardcore punk. I liked their first album Origins, but I really fell for this band when they released Clarion Call last year. Their music is fast and high-energy, with great hooks and vocal harmonies (as well as a few shouty bits), and their live show promises to be so damn good that I’m not sure that I’ll be able to bear missing out on any of it.

Fresh (Sunday at The Union 19:10–19:50)
Fresh are starting to feel a little like my unicorn: the band I really want to see, but somehow it just doesn’t work out. Last year, Fresh clashed with Roughneck Riot and I decided not to see them because they’re a London-based band and I figured I’d have a better chance of seeing them in the future. Then they were announced for this year’s MPF, and I was determined to see them this time around. Alas, scheduling luck was not on my side and they’re on at the same time as The Human Project. But, I’m still hopeful that I might catch at least 10 minutes of Fresh’s set if I can move quickly between venues. Their self-titled album is full of songs that are jaunty but urgent, pop-punk but stripped-back and without any sugar coating. I’m sure the band will also be looking to play a new song or two from their upcoming album Withdraw, which is out on 7 June via Specialist Subject Records.

Sneaky 11th entry: The Poetry Stage at The Thirsty Scholar
In addition to all of the awesome bands playing MPF, I’m also really excited about the poetry stage that will run alongside the comedy stage at the The Thirsty Scholar every day from 1–6pm. There is a long tradition of punk performance poets and storytellers, because of the ways in which performance or spoken-word poetry provides a platform for marginalized voices to give expression to their experiences. At these performances, you can expect cutting rhymes, fast rhythms, clever witticisms, and intense emotions. I’m particularly interested in seeing Suky Goodfellow, who describes herself as a Hufflepunk whose genres include Rap Tomfoolery and Queer Unicornism, and Henry Raby, an energetic Nerd Punk from York who focuses on politics. Both are on in the early afternoon on Sunday, but you can check out the full list of poets who will be performing on the MPF website.

This top ten was written by Robyn Pierce.

Album Review: Invasion by Hangtime

Something that I say a lot on CPRW, Canada is like a conveyor belt for churning out really good punk rock bands. The latest one to come to my attention is Toronto's Hangtime. We came across the pop punk four piece scrolling through the Bandcamp discovery section (seriously more people should do this, you come across some real gems) and quickly fell in love with their new EP Invasion which was released on the 1st of March.

Invasion begins with an introductory track of the same name before leading into the first proper song, A Thousand Years Ago. This is a melodic pop punk song in similar vein to bands such as Teen Idols or Squirtgun. The sugary sweet vocals are what really grab you at the start of the track. The song is filled with hooks and it won't be long until you're singing along with the band. It's about wishing you had told someone you loved them and regretting not doing it. A strong start to the EP. Next up is One Nine Nine Five. Something I really enjoyed on my first listen of this song was the use of the dual vocals. One of Hangtime’s vocalists takes the verse and the other the chorus. The contrasting pitches of their vocals works so well here. On the bridge, before that epic guitar solo, the vocals come together to produce a superb sounding harmony. The track is about reminiscing over the past and thinking about how some things haven't changed for the better.

See You Soon has more of an early 2000s pop punk vibe, the kind of song you'd find in an American teen movie montage. Despite that description, it's actually quite a sad song about missing someone you care for and beginning to struggle mentally. The song is played at a mid-tempo so seems to lack a bit of energy but is full of hooks that will quickly take up residence in your brain and will have you singing it to yourself long after the song has finished. The fifth song, Can I Take You Out, however does have that energy that I'm always looking for in my punk rock. Another song about girls, only this time Hangtime talk about meeting someone new and becoming completely infatuated with them. There's a nice positivity and sweetness that you don't often find in pop punk songs about girls. Sometimes the pop punk guy does get the girl. The fast buzzsaw style guitars compliment the melody driven vocals superbly, this is what gives the track that infectious energy.

The penultimate track on Invasion is She. It's not a Green Day cover. On my first listen of the EP She stood out as it reminded a bit of skate punk legends No Use For A Name, starting out in an upbeat manner with some crunching guitars before some deliciously melodic vocals come in. The very first word sounds as if the singer is really straining which really dragged me into the song – it made me really want to care about the song. This track is about having someone in your life who just makes things so much better – what a great feeling that is. I particularly enjoyed the lyrics "she makes the voices stop, she keeps me clear and calm." The seventh and final song on the EP is titled Lucky. This track ensures that Invasion finishes in an emotional way as Hangtime play another song where they talk about how lucky they are to have someone who looks out for them. It feels as if there is more urgency in the singer’s voice which is what adds the emotion to the track. The ending of Lucky slows things down so it basically sounds like an emo pop ballad. Quite the way to finish the EP.

Invasion is a lovely nugget of pop goodness. The main strength of the EP for me is the dual vocalists that give it a freshness and I love it when they sing together – I love a harmony. If you love the poppiest of pop punk then this EP is really worth your time.

Stream and download Invasion here: https://hangtimeband.bandcamp.com/

Like Hangtime here: http://facebook.com/hangtimeband

This review was written by Colin Clark.

Album Review: Mince by The Overbites

The Overbites are a new band from the amazing Scottish punk rock scene featuring former members of Maxwell's Dead and Salem Street/The Valens. In February the four piece, featuring MuzzEh (vocals/guitar), Matt (bass/vocals), Sam (guitar) and Jim (drums/vocals), released their debut six track EP, Mince. As a fan of these guys’ previous projects I was interested to hear Mince.

Mince begins with I Could Never Stop. It's a short and fast song that gets the EP off with a real bang. It's about being in bands from a young age, realising that it can be destructive to your life but knowing it's so ingrained in you that you'll never be able to stop doing it. I think it serves as a great introduction as to why The Overbites exist and is a great pick for an opening number. The next track, TV, is another short song that packs quite the punch. It's about deciding not to watch the TV as there is nothing good on it but it being there waiting to be watched again. The song gives me the image of a television being a devil sitting on your shoulder, you know it's probably not going to be good but sometimes you just can't help yourself anyway. I found the lyrics to be extremely relatable, particularly this line – "I don't know what a Kardashian is, and I really don't care."

Up next is the song Mince. This track starts out slowly with a plodding opening verse that soon builds towards a heavier punk rock chorus. The structure is repeated for a second verse and chorus before we are treated to a energetic instrumental section and then repeating for a third time. This switches in style allow for the chorus to seem all the more powerful. This is good because Mince is about struggling with mental health problems and wanting to escape from them. Misled sees the EP take a surprising turn as The Overbites play a gypsy punk song. I really wasn't expecting to hear a gypsy punk track on the EP but The Overbites do a fantastic job with this. It shows off their ability as musicians brilliantly and quickly pulls you in. The song is about exactly what you think it is – being lied to and not being able to deal with it.

Time Was Up is the penultimate track on Mince. Here we get to hear a ska punk influence to The Overbites sound, with some bouncy verses that hook you immediately and will soon have you tapping your feet if not completely skanking. When the chorus hits we get some glorious gang vocals that give you that sense of inclusion that I love. The song is about the ending of previous bands, thinking about the journey you've been on and realising it's time to call it a day. A lot of new bands don't like to talk about their previous work on new projects but I really appreciated that The Overbites wrote a song like this. The Scottish scene is pretty small so everyone knows the history of these guys anyway so you might as well address it in a song, right? Separation finishes the EP in fine form. It's a straight forward punk sing-along about trying to get on with your life after breaking up with your partner. The melody of the song really hooks you in and I love the way MuzzEh finishes each line in such a punchy way. This is the real earworm track of the EP and it was a great choice to finish with it as it leaves you wanting more whilst humming away to yourself.

I loved Mince, I can't wait to see where it takes The Overbites. Varied, smart, fresh and fun. What else could you need?

Stream and download Mince here: https://theoverbites.bandcamp.com/

Like The Overbites here: https://www.facebook.com/theoverbitesband/

This review was written by Colin Clark.