We recently reviewed the PEOPLE ON VACATION EP, and just as with that release, a BOWLING FOR SOUP spin off has arrived in advance of a joint UK tour. BFS bass player ERIK CHANDLER’s ‘Writing The Wrongs’ is upbeat, but not quite in the same way as the PEOPLE ON VACATION effort that comes out at the same time.
Here, there’s a bit of a CURE vibe than a SHINS one, and the nods to BOWLING FOR SOUP are a little stronger than it’s recent counterpart. Plenty of synths pepper the EP, notably on opener ‘Tonight’s The Night’, and though the songs arrive in a fairly predictable fashion, each of the four is perfectly listenable.
There’s something about side projects that are always interesting, as if nothing else it gives you insight into the band’s influences far beyond what you’ve known before. Though ‘Writing The Wrongs’ won’t automatically appeal to BFS fans, you can hear some of the same influences bubbling under the surface, and it’s good fairly wide appeal.
‘Push The Pedal’ is probably the best track on the EP, but like the PEOPLE ON VACATION EP, it’s all very much worth a listen in it’s own right, despite not really being anything that’s going to change the world.
If you’re into surf-rock, synthey pop-punk or just plain summery songs, there’s probably something you’ll enjoy here, and it’s an open invitation to go and have a good time later in the year when Erik tours with BOWLING FOR SOUP and PEOPLE ON VACATION.
TOM AYLOTT