Right now, Pendleton are the best skate-punk band in the UK. Seriously. This four-tracker will propel them into the upper echeleons of the scene and deservedly so. 'You, By Us' is four choice cuts of powerful, punchy three-minute punk rock anthems that will have you air drumming, singing, dancing and everything in between. While their older demos suggested the band would make an impact, this beauty really delivers.
While many bands of this genre can easily bust out some licks and bosh the drums at double-time speed, it's difficult to throw in harmonies and melodic choruses without losing your power and impact. To be fair, many bands fail to do it consistently and end up changing their styles as a result - New Found Glory started off as a far heavier band than they are now, while No Use For A Name have certainly slowed down and become more melodic. Somehow, Pendleton happily marry the two; there's pop without being poppy, and speed without being overly fast and ruining a slew of good songs.
Mike;s vocals are on the high-pitched side and stand out for being unique. Sounding a little like From First To Last's Sonny Moore (without the screaming, obviously), he manages to mirror many of the excellent guitar riffs to create some sweet as a nut vocal harmonies. 'Falling Apart To Double Time', the band's first single, is the best exponent of this - when the guitar riff goes up, the vocals follow and it suits the music perfectly. The drums throughout are hard-hitting and create a sense of urgency and as all of the songs are around the three minute mark they never outstay their welcome.
For some reason UK bands often fail to match their American contemporaries when it comes to skate-punk. I bet many people reading this can name the Bad Religions of this world, yet in recent years there just seems to be a complete lack of quality Epi-Fat bands. Pendleton look set to change all that. This is a release of real quality and I hope the band get the success this EP ultimately deserves.
» Listen on Myspace
