I was a little harsh when I last reviewed Koda, so the band will no doubt be pleased that I think this three-tracker is a lot better. Basing their sound around a skate-punk three-chord trick which the EpiFat bands collared in the mid-to-late nineties, Koda have plenty of melodies throughout the nine minutes this record spans. 'Let It Go' features some clever vocals and a solid riff, although the drums sometimes labour a little bit and ruin the flow of the song - it's actually something I noticed on my first listen throughout the whole EP, while the band show glimpses of greatness, they seem to be hampered by some dodgy moments.
For example, there's a really odd drum pattern during 'Dead Weight' which, for me, ruins the song. Still, as I said, there are parts that really do impress and if the band can work on these then they'll make progress - and fast. As I mentioned at the beginning, this EP is an improvement on their last and so that shows the level of progress you'd expect to be made in a year. The guitars and vocals have improved, although the drums maybe aren't quite as strong as they were last time round. Still, not too bad an effort at all.
paul
