Orange County hardcore veterans Stick To Your Guns once again bring us back into fighting against day to day struggles. Given that this is their first stand alone release with Pure Noise Records, it is unsurprising that the band have opted for a cleaner and more accessible approach. Thankfully the groovy yet crushing riffs, the rapid delivery from vocalist Jesse Barnett and signature mosh calls are all still in the mix.
The Nina Simone monologue at the end of the first track is a nice reminder that STYG go out of their way to find influences from historic figures, whose speeches still resonate with our generation’s discontent for societal oppression. Sure, the line “If this is the end you can bet your ass I won’t go out like them” comes across as somewhat corny, however like with many melodic hardcore bands, these tend to get overlooked in the grand scheme of things.
Following this, ‘Universal Language’ fittingly delivers the converge of global aggression. Brendan Murphy of Counterparts provides guest vocals for this track and juxtaposes perfectly with Barnett’s. Both bands have toured with each other several times and share the same level of emotional catharsis in their music so it seems as if he fits in naturally on this EP.
Arguably the track that holds the EP together the most is ‘The Suspend’ with its alt rock build up and Barnett’s end yell of “I’ll give ’till I’ve got nothing left”. The signature gang vocals sonically resonate with the rest of the track in a traditional call and response manner but it somehow doesn’t sound as emotionally lifting as it could be.
On the whole, ‘Better Ash Than Dust’ feels more like an added bonus of material rather than bringing anything new to the table. It has everything every other decent hardcore release has going for it and yet there’s something a tad generic about its thematic overtones which ultimately becomes its biggest setback.
ASHWIN BHANDARI