Essex isn’t renound for its music scene. To be honest I’d struggle to name a single band I listen to that comes from the home of footballer’s wives and white stilettos. However, Fei Comodo are doing their best to change all that and put the North London county on the musical map with their first official release ‘This One’s for Us’. What we have here is a four track EP with frankly some of the best produced post-hardcore tracks I’ve heard from a new band in a long while. CD opener and title track ‘This one’s for us’ introduces us to the band aggressive sound, which gives definite nods to Glassjaw, Thrice and pre-Casually Dressed Funeral for a Friend. However, Fei Comodo manage to balance out the hardcore aspects of this track with vocalist Marc Halls’ sweet melodies, especially the damn catchy chorus of ‘Save your dances for another’. While the song does end on something of a generic breakdown and it would’ve been nice to have another resounding chorus to finish with, this is by far the strongest track on the EP.
‘Bobby Marshal’ is a much more straightforward affair, with a punk-drum rhythm and guitar licks reminiscent of a watered-down Bullet for my Valentine. However that’s not to say it doesn’t have its merits, and the song is definitely propelled forward by the infectious vocal melodies. ‘Riot to Remember’ adopts a less obvious verse – chorus – verse structure which at times makes the song sound as if the band didn’t know exactly what direction to take it in and as a result, is the weakest song here.
The record ends on a acoustic number, which has become something of a standard on EPs these days. However ‘Regards (acoustic)’ is as well polished as the other three songs, which gives Fei Comodo a definite advantage over most first-release EPs. Dominated by beautiful harmonies, it’s sure to be a live sing-along at Fei Comodo shows.
Overall ‘This One’s for Us’ is a cracking little EP, and if they can pull off the songs live with as much energy as they did in recording, they’re sure to win themselves an army of fans on their dates supporting Enter Shikari and The Hurt Process this Autumn.
Andrew