This four track EP comes from the Surrey quintet known collectively as Misterhall and frankly it’s quite hard trying to chuck them into one particular genre. They’ve got the expanse of sound that Biffy Clyro use, as well as the punchy sensibilities of Rival Schools and the driving power of The Little Explorer but that’s not to say that they sound especially like any of these bands. Obviously, with any short EP it’s hard to gain any definite idea of a band’s style, but with this ‘un they veer from sharp shocks to an epic-feeling closer.
‘Longitude’ and ‘Badman Forever’ sound alike, with their Biffy-esque uses of shuddering guitars and crashing choruses, bound together by the layers of instruments. ‘Longitude’ suffers slightly in comparison due to the lack of urgency as the track develops, never really biting as it threatens to do. A repetitive reliance on familiar guitar riffs isn’t quite the handicap it could be, since the rhythm section of Jim Carroll’s bass and Nick Owsianka’s drumming ably supports Simon Gould and Adam Easton‘s guitar work as it underlines and augments the recognisable musical motifs from earlier in the track. ‘Badman Forever’ sounded more derivative to me, but not overly so because Misterhall seem to be able to imbue their influences with just enough originality to keep afloat.
‘Let’s Go Ultimate!’ takes proceedings up a step, both in terms of pace and largeness of sound. It’s a fantastically ornately sounding track, Chris Pratt’s vocals taking centre stage to soar over the intermittently quiet-loud music which never once sounds contrived or ripped off – check the chorus for evidence. One of my favourite things about the entire EP is that Misterhall never throw straight – in everything they do there’s an element of the opposite. At their heaviest there’s a lightly melodic guitar line to bring you down, and at the lightest there’s a consistent pounding of drums that reminds you of Glassjaw. This is demonstrated perfectly on ‘Let’s Go Ultimate!’, since it powers along with momentum while all the time being half a step from the calmness of the intro.
This isn’t the stuff I’d normally listen to, but it sure as hell makes a change from the pre-prepared pop punk and emo that’s swallowing the planet right now. I’m loving the Biffy-a-like moments, as well as the more reflective ones – I reckon Misterhall could win a hell of a lot of admirers if people want an antidote to the screaming or the whining of the mainstream.
Ben
www.misterhall.co.uk