If you liked the last Brand New album but hoped it would have a bit more balls and fire to it, you’re gonna love Bayonets. Plucked from obscurity by Walnut Tree Records, these guys defy their relative youth with an explosive EP which has literally blown me away. ‘Wishes and Wishes’ is an 8-tracker which will win over a LOT of people if they give it the chance. There are riffs, there are melodies, there’s everything – if one of the bigger US bands had produced this record it would have had blogs like AP.net drooling about how Bayonets will be the next big thing. And there’s a good chance they will be if people just give them the chance.
The hits on this record simply roll out one after the other. ‘Ciao Roma’ is a stunner. It’s arguably the most obvious and melodic track on the record, but it sums up what Bayonets do so well. They manage to throw in some awesome backing vocals and make a wall of noise sound like one of the catchies things you’ll hear in a while. It’s difficult to pin the sound down, maybe it’s a little Bloc Party-esque, maybe it’s a little Brand New-y too. But whatever it is, it’s superb. And what I like about this band is that they’re not afraid to mix up the catchier songs with something totally atmospheric and individual. ‘Ten More Sleeps…’ is hardly experimental but it’s not as predictable as some of their peers. And while other bands, especially UK acts, have tried (and failed) to match some of their US peers, Bayonets have simply jumped above all of them.
This EP is one of the best I’ve heard all year and is one of the best debut releases by a UK band in quite some time. It sounds huge, sounds mature and does everything you’d expect ‘professional’ songwriters to do. If you liked the recent Thrice EPs, mid-Brand New and recent Bloc Party material then Bayonets will blow you away. Give this band a chance and you may find your favourite new band.