Opening with a satirical, Occupy-esque megaphone speech that cries ‘Smiling is bad for the economy’, TRAILS‘ debut, self-titled EP then launches into the thrilling party punk of ‘All The Other Humans’, where they call their own rallying cry in “I don’t give a fuck”.
Lead single ‘Before I Begin’, while perhaps more streamlined in its single edit, still hits all the right beats, dripping with colourful disaffection. It’s REUBEN riffage welded to DANANANANAYKROYD’s death pop and the result is thrilling.
The nightmarish strut of ‘One In Three’ rivals BLAKFISH at their most funky, ‘We’ve Got It All Right Here’ bludgeons and sprawls but drags a bit towards the end – odd considering that it’s the shortest track on the record. ‘Social Constructionists’ shows the band have a heart somewhere above their balls and ‘I Am Alive and You Are Dead’ closes proceedings on a suitably histrionic, breathless note.
TRAILS‘ debut collection shows off their talent for crafting frenetic, mathy punk pop. Vast close-harmony choruses and terrifying hooks are doused in inflammatory party bile. An incendiary band with a bright future.
SAM FALLE