The Happy Tank EP,
Cheap RegretsIt's refreshing to see that really young bands don't always copy what mainstream culture tells them to play. Cheap Regrets were only 15 when they recorded this now out-of-print 5-song EP, yet it's more influenced by someone like The Hives than Hawthorne Heights. If any member of this band had a floppy fringe, I'd be surprised. While the band are now a little older and wiser - and allegedly recording new songs - the songs here show promise, but never really hit the mark as they possibly intended too. 'Medical Breakthrough' is really basic structure-wise, while the vocals sound a little rough around the edges. 'Count In Lucky Numbers' is possibly my favourite of the five, a song which shows execution beyond their lack of experience, while the remaining three songs are good without being great.
And of course you do have to consider the band's age within the scope of this review, so I don't want to sound too scathing, but for a band with obvious talent - which Cheap Regrets have - then I'd be hoping for much better things with the newer recordings. There are some good ideas here, and in places those come across well, but you can't beat experience, practice and musical maturity and I hope all three of these things have been gained in the time since the five songs here were recorded. Ones to watch.
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