I think this record is called ‘Play It Loud’. I’m not sure, the band wrote so much stuff on the actual CD that I got a bit confused as to what was what. However, what I can tell you is that Skatch have progressed into an absolutely brilliant band. Previously they managed to sound a bit like a cross between Allister and Less Than Jake and the songs were either a bit too heavy on the synth or a bit too heavy with the brass. However, they’ve now ironed that out and really found their sound. This EP is really, really good fun, really catchy and even shows a little variation – from the moog-tastic second track to the Jack’s Mannequin influenced opener (sorry for the lack of track names, they’re on the CD which is currently going round and round…)
Birmingham’s Skatch really aren’t afraid to have fun. There’s certainly an element of cheese to their sound and they’re heavily influenced by American bands, but they do what they do extremely well. The vocals on each song are exceptional for the genre of music and each tracks merges a fun pop-punk sound with either a sprinkling of synth or a burst of a horn. It probably should sound messy but it’s strangely cohesive. The best part is the band write huge singalong choruses too, meaning they’re not far off having the complete package. If they can pull this off live, well, they could be big…