Glasgow pop-punks Scallywag are the latest band to entertain me with their new E.P “New Beginning.†6 tracks of poorly produced but promising guitar driven punk, with some clever break downs and a number of attention grabbing melodies make this one a good first step upon the ladder of punk rock showbiz and fame, whatever that may be.
Despite poor production overall, Scallywag have strung together a collection of fairly good straight up, straight down pop punk songs which would be worth a listen if you’re on the scout for some up and coming Scottish punk talent. It’s not exactly original, nor is it dramatically life changing, but tracks like “Forget The Past†with it’s interesting guitar riff and the CD’s opener “So Far I’m Losing†give us a glimpse that this band have achieved decent structure, it just needs maturing. A lot of the vocal harmonies and choruses bring to mind bands like The Offspring, and Dexter Holland’s ability to attract sing-a-long support.
Despite the fact I’ve been a little over critical about this CD, I have to be honest. I hear tonnes of demos like this, where bands keep falling for poor studios and ramming their music as quickly as they can to as many people as possible. It’s all too rushed. It shouldn’t be like this. I would never write a band off, and I’m not writing Scallywag off, there are promising moments in this E.P, that in a few months could develop, a lot. Hopefully lifting them to the higher reaches of their local scene. But these guys are a long way off anything serious, label consideration, or even signed band support slots. Let’s hope their dedication is enough to keep them in the game and climbing “that ladder.â€
Pete
www.scallywagonline.co.uk