This is a tricky one as I’m not 100% sure it’s really Punktastic fare, but the Alcopop people are sound guys and so the least I can do is give them a few column inches. Stagecoach, believe it or not, are a band and not a bus company. This EP is bouncy and catchy and has a distinct 90s Britpop feel to it throughout. Having grown up with the genre, and being about 16 when Blur took on Oasis during the ‘Country House v Wonderwall’ battle, it’s a genre I kind of wanted to leave behind. The Bluetones and Shed Seven sound horrendously dated 15 or so years on.
Stagecoach aren’t that bad by any means. Their influences may be worn on their sleeve but it’s all given a 21st Century makeover. The choppy riffs and rhythmic drum patterns sound quite fun, if you’re into that kind of thing, and ‘Break’ and ‘Ice Age’ are quite fun. The latter’s a bit jazzy actually. If you like the sound of that, you’ll like Stagecoach. There are better bands around and better EPs to listen to, but this is fun and a reasonable stab at doing something slightly different – even if this particular reviewer can remember it all from the first time around.