Positioning themselves perfectly between the melody and buzz of the ineffable Captain Everything! and the chunky punk rock of Lagwagon and NUFAN, Nana’s Revenge have come up with a little peach of an EP, sneaking up on me like a particularly nasty squirrel. This is by far one of the most energetic demo EPs I’ve heard in a long time, bursting as it is with youthful bite and liberally doused with a sense of humour.
Opener ‘Doubtful’ and ‘Hotpot’ zip along at an impressive pace, composed primarily of chunky power chords and enough gang vocal harmonies to ensure the sound stays raw and none-too-polished, creating an interesting contrast between the familiar melodies and the edgy, street-punk sound. Unsurprisingly ‘500 Nuns’ is hardly the most original of EPs but there’s enough distinction between the breathless double-time thrash of ‘Free From Progress’ and the deeper, more brooding ‘Doubtful’ that not only places NR in a favourable position in terms of being a band worth checking out, but also suggests that with the onset of time and more mature approach to songwriting they could evolve into a real stormer of a band.
The buzzsaw guitars that convey a real liveliness and subtitle the shrill vocals on ‘Free From Progress’ are a recurring feature on the CD, never the most technical but always chucking in a catchy riff or chunky motif that works wonders in providing a little variety in the well-trodden path of melodic punk rock. NR aim for a heavier tone on ‘Car Park Too Dark’ with a darker, Alk3 approach that is only half-successful. As a song it feels less accomplished because only the chorus sounds like an organic part of the track, with the dreaded ‘stitched together’ feeling pervading all but the final part which pulls through with a fantastically punchy singalong which should have been employed to greater effect.
Leaving ‘Out Of Line’ until last is mystifying, since it’s a prime example of NR being able to control a heavier sound, with some frantic riffing and a massive hook that is used perfectly as it never strays into being repetitive or boring. Unfortunately the instrumental middle-eight loses its way and the vibrant thump of the first half of the song frustratingly dissolves as quickly as it leapt into life, and this is a familiar occurrence – with a bit more economy NR will be able to write some brilliant songs, because they show that they can come up with as many hummable melodies as powerful, heavy riffs, they just need a bit more time and devlopment.
Ben
nanasrevenge@hotmail.com
www.nanasrevenge.co.uk