Leeds-based punk rockers, Brawlers, are former members of bands including Martyr Defiled, Dinosaur Pile-up, Leftover Crack and Castrovalva. On paper, this would prove to be an odd mix of hardcore punk and experimental rock. Yet, as it happens in real life, things prove to be different with their début EP firmly treading into the territories of pop-punk and alt-rock, with six fast-paced tracks taking up just fifteen minutes of your time.
‘Instagram Famous’ is the stand-out track off this EP, worthy of repeated listens. It’s punchy and well produced. In particular, the drums come off as the strongest asset, punctuating the song perfectly. This track along with ‘Mothers and Fathers’, provide a really promising start to the EP. The EP begins with some really solid pop-punk, with treble-tinged guitars that are more commonly attributed to indie-rock, but seem just at home here.
Pop-punk is such a vague genre, and more often than not it’s an unhelpful way to describe an album or EP. Yet, in this case, things quickly descend into forgettable pop-punk territory. The middle of the EP brings little new to the table, slowing down the tempo from the first two songs. ‘Heart Attack’ tries to pick things up but contains a riff which is neither infectious nor inspiring. In fact, the EP does go into the reaches of alt-rock towards the end, adding nothing special what is already an oversubscribed genre of alternative rock.
There’s nothing here that sets the last four tracks of this EP apart from many other releases, the members of Brawlers have brought little inspiration from their former bands. It’s a shame because ‘I Am A Worthless Piece of Shit’ starts very strongly, with ‘Mothers and Fathers’ and ‘Instagram Famous’ proving to be very solid. It’s forgettable, yes, but perhaps it would be too harsh to say that this is an EP worthy of it’s title; Brawlers do have a couple of strong moments here.
SAMARTH KANAL