My teenage years were in the mid-90s, so I grew up without the MP3, without the internet and with a VAST CD collection. I discovered NOFX in about 1996, which led to me buying up the Fat Wreck back catalogue and, in turn, a diet of pop-punk bands with a bit of balls behind them. It says a lot that they really don’t make them like they used to anymore. Dance Karate don’t sound like any of the bands I grew up on, but they share the same sense of urgency and melody. The songs on this EP, to be released on Engineer Records, have a bit of balls behind them. It’s catchy pop-rock, and to be fair it’s done very well, but there’s a little extra something here in a Polar Bear Club-esque kinda way that sets them apart from most of the other bands doing the rounds at the minute. It’s not perfect and it’s not the best UK release I’ve ever heard, but there’s endeavor and honesty here and a sense the band aren’t going to bow down to fashionable trends, but instead write and record the music they love to play. And while that sounds like such an obvious thing to write in a review, you’d be amazed at how many bands can’t convey honesty and emotion over the course of an EP! This is pretty good stuff; Dance Karate, smarter than your average punk rock band.
