Reviewed by Mike Rimmer

This Midlands-based three-piece have now released two EPs and on the strength of this latest offering must be gearing towards recording a full length album. The trio offer energetic, funky, punky rock that is nailed down by the superb drumming of Dean Needle whose flair and pure rhythms anchor the band's sound. Andrez Barker adds a certain confident funkiness to the proceedings which is unusual in this genre. And on top of this, John O'Brien's fiery fretwork and distinctive passionate vocals complete the picture. Kicking off with the incendiary heavy groove of "Away At Home", the band are immediately impressive, cleverly varying the song's intensity. "The Think Tank" is built on a straight-ahead riff from John O'B before breaking full pelt into more of a mosh pit filler. "Stumped" intros with a blast of feedback but quickly develops as a slower grinding prayer song of surrender. Not sure about John's strange accent though! Aside from the hidden track, the EP finishes with "Betta" which is another song built around John's guitar and some solid work from the rhythm section to create a catchy groovy conclusion. They've been playing a few festivals this summer and listening to this reminds me I need to book them in for another chat on Rimmerama! Cool stuff! Now what about an album?

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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