FAILURE BY DESIGN are a six piece from Liverpool who label themselves as ‘horn driven political party ska-punk’ and have been making some waves locally by supporting bands such as AUDIO KARATE. They’ve only been a band for a couple of years and this E.P is their most recent release.
What strikes me about this band is there isn’t really any ska here at all; maybe about fourty-five seconds of an off-beat rhythm. Opening track ‘Scene and not Heard’ probably owes more to PENNYWISE than it does to OPERATION IVY or even RBF, either way though it’s a pissed off sounding punk song with plenty of bite and crunch doused in energy and verve. The only thing that really lets it down is the slightly iffy brass section.
FBD have lots of good ideas going on but they’re not quite gelling together. I don’t mean the songs are a complete mish-mash of incoherent pap because they’re not. The flanging guitar present on ‘No Future’ certainly adds more dimension and the tempo changes and horn led breaks in ‘This is how it all starts’ definitely indicate talent and creativity, I just don’t think they’re quite hitting the bull’s eye yet. Certainly a band to keep tabs on as some of the ideas on this E.P. are very impressive and I expect them to progressive and expand even further upon them.
-Mike
www.failurebydesign.com