Garrison are back with this EP which is being released again on Revelation. This seems to be quite a bit faster and more aggressive than what I’d previously heard from the band, and even includes an interestingly bizarre Electronic song.
“Come On Die Young (No Seriously)” has a completely pissed off and chaotic feel to it. Like the guitars are the bastard children of Greg Ginn (Black Flag). Luckily we have the lyrics in the booklet because I can’t make out a word of the vocals apart from the chorus which is just the song name chanted over and over. No doubt this will whip people into a frenzy in a live environment.
This kicks straight into the next track, “Everything You Want” which takes a much more straight-forward melodic punk rock direction. The chorus is a little bit like an angry Samiam and this track would have to be the one for me on this EP. This is the vocal style I was expecting after the surprise of hearing the first track.
“God Is Not On Our Side” starts of with an organ and I was thinking constantly of 60s band – The Animals. Once the guitars kick in this track reminds me quite a bit of the post-hardcore sounds of Quicksand, an obvious influence here.
“We Know Our Demographic” keeps the melodic flavour but picks up the tempo from the last track. Like “Everything You Want” this is another strong track that’d no doubt go down well in a live environment.
The last track on this EP, “The Closer” musically sounds a bit like Nine Inch Nails where as the vocals sound a bit like Walter from Rival Schools. I’m really not a fan of this song, it just seems like something to fill up this EP and show off their new found synth/sampler skills. Hopefully this isn’t the musical direction that Garrison are contemplating taking in the future.
This EP isn’t bad, and if you’re a fan of the band you’ll probably like it. It’s a nice bridge between their last album and possibly an indication of what to expect from their next full length.
Phil