Hailing from New York, this quartet have a certain distinction to the current garage rock storm which is taking over our country rather than the fabled New Yoik punk scene of days gone by and with this four track EP, they have moulded a sound which on the whole seems to lack a vital spark to give it a push in the desired direction. Pounding riffs aligning themselves with thumping drums are the order of the day and of the four tracks displayed not one is really that bad, but then not one is eye-openingly good.
‘Got Concept’ introduces us to the band and we are instantly hit with those drums and guitars mentioned previously, with the vocals particularly standing out on the best track of the EP, but from this moment in, that’s all there is to shout about. The tracks ‘So Last Year’ and ‘Loneliness Compound’ both aspire to something approaching catchy, but both fall well short of the mark that is needed in today’s heady world of punk rock. Remaining track ‘Assumer’ goes in a more up-tempo direction but with the strained vocals struggling at times in comparison to earlier notes, it just isn’t enough.
The Bad Mouths have attempted something which has already been done a million times on the circuit, and where as I usually see certain bits of promise in bands, with this mob, they are going to have work doubly hard to get to where they want to be. Neither here nor there, the music fails to engage you save for one or two sections, resulting in an unremarkable musical trip.
Jay
www.thebadmouths.com