I'll be honest and say that I wasn't impressed with CrashCarBurn's original incarnation, Tweak. For those unfamiliar with the story, here's a little potted history - Tweak formed in South Africa in 1998 and the band have had amazing success, selling 40,000 CDs in their homeland, airplay on MTV, touring Australia, Europe and supporting the likes of Avril Lavigne and Wheatus along the way. In 2005 the band moved to the UK, releasing an album I panned for being 'samey'. Earlier this year the abnd were forced to change their name for legal reasons, coming up with CrashCarBurn. And this five-song EP is the first release with the new name...
And boy is it impressive stuff. Having ditched their repetitive pop-punk style, they've moved on to a more grandiose and 'big' sound, a little like Angels and Airwaves; although CCB are certainly not stuck with their heads up their own arses! Instead the band manage to recreate a powerful backdrop of soaring guitars and vocal melodies, resulting in a very promising EP. While 'Broken Skyline' is seemingly the first single (and a track picked up by Kerrang for a new compilation), it's not the band at their best. A driving verse falls nicely into a catchy chorus, but it's when the band try and develop their sound a little that they come off best.
The samples and piano which kick off 'Heroes' is very AVA - even a little Armor For Sleep-ish - although it's actually done in a much better way, building up into another wonderfully large chorus. Garth Barnes' whispery vocals sound fantastic and this, for me, is the record's standout track. While the next two tracks can't quite reach these high standards, 'Sing This At My Wake' again attempts to pull of a more adventurous sound and the band come off all the better for it. Definitely better than their previous incarnation as Tweak, this EP showcases a band with plenty of promise and one that may finally be able to live up to their South African hype.
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