If you are a Punktastic regular then you will already know all about Wakefield‘s newest ska-punk heroes Milk2Sugars. These crazy kids virtually control the forums here at Punktastic with their insane sense of humour, and of course we host them too. Which is nice. So it’s about time that we gave this septet’s debut EP the once over and welcomed you all to the crazy pigeon-filled world that is M2S.
‘The Paint Your Street Competition’ EP is the band’s first ever release and the first thing to note is how bloody good the production is. I don’t think I’ve ever heard an unsigned band with the production this cracking – it’s absolutely first rate. So with that out of the way, let’s knuckle down to the songs. Milk2Sugars are primarily a ska band, although there are various influences here. Sublime, Reel Big Fish, Less Than Jake, and dare I say it, Blink 182, can all be heard without ever treading into rip-off territory. The M2S sound is laidback, it’s cool, it’s catchy – and it’s not what you expect to come out of Wakefield…
The first of the three tracks, ‘Shining Without You’ is probably the best song here – an upbeat singalong effort that belittles the band’s inexperience. Venus’ voice is almost spot on and the backing vocals add an extra layer to proceedings. It all sounds rather warm and with a catchy, if a little basic, chorus, things are off to a cracking start. Of course I’m yet to mention the ska riffs or the brass section, which is more than evident throughout and of course is also rather good.
‘Don’t Wanna Be Lonely’ has a reggae tinge to it, slowing down the pace to show their more sensitive side. Emo-ska – is their such a genre? Well maybe there is now. Sounding like something from the latest Rx Bandits album, it’s a heady comparison and whilst the band aren’t yet in the same league as RxB, there’s no doubting that this track shows there is plenty of promise here. And the production quality is again evident. So that leaves us with the fine finale of ‘Washing Machine’, a perkier number with even more brass action. Again the vocals are good, the guitar is fuzzed up for variation and you’ll be singing along in no time. Apparently they were only a fivesome during he recording of the EP, so if you catch this 14-legged monster live, expect even more shenanigans.
On the down side, lyrically Milk2Sugars won’t win awards and the songs are maybe a bit basic. But if you’re after a good time, listen to this band, because they are all about fun, fun, fun. The songs are, in my opinion, a bit too slow and there’s obvious nods towards the likes of Sublime, but I think some of the tracks, namely ‘Shining Without You’, would be best served with the tempo up a notch. I’m told that live the band do exactly this.
Of course Milk2Sugars aren’t the finished article by any means, but if this is a sign of their talent then big things could be around the corner. Upping the tempo a bit and working on the lyrics slightly could set them apart from the rest. With ska currently so popular amongst the kids on Planet Punk, M2S will certainly go down a treat. Go catch them live this summer and buy this EP. And when you’re looking to create those chilled out summer sun mixtapes (or cds) this summer, there’s no excuses not to have a Milk2Sugars track on there…
Paul