Mandy K are on Warped Tour all summer so there’s a kind of inevitability about this band blowing up that bit bigger. It’s not exactly a secret that I like these kind of bands, soaked in melodies and sunnier than a hot day in the sun, but Mandy K don’t quite hit the spot. This self-titled EP has all the ingredients you need for a successful pop-punk record – melodies, choruses and super-slick production are all present and correct. And when the band get it right, as they do on ‘Are You From Tennessee?’ they get it very right.
But for every good song there’s a slower, not-so-good track. ‘Come Back To Bed’ and ‘Sunflower’ both plod along without much of a tempo and while I do prefer bands with a bit of backbone and some double-time drumming, I do think the lack of pace exposes the band’s major weakness. The faster tracks here are much better, the The Academy Is-esque ‘While You Were Out’ has a bit more oomph, a clever layer of synths and sounds all the better for it. It’s a path I’d like to see the band continue with in the future.
I wouldn’t say this EP is bad, because it’s not. In places it’s very good, but the inconsistency costs in the end. Worth checking out if you like the mid-paced pop-punk bands, such as The Maine.