The band’s 2018 debut ‘Exiles’ was a ferocious slice of politically charged punk rock, its anger and urgency only matched by its striking melodies and with second album ‘Our Hell Is Right Here’ they’re picking up where they left off, roaring out of St. Albans with a message pinned to their sleeves. This time the focus has shifted but the intensity has not. You definitely need to hear this record.

For the most part, the band assaults you in three-minute bursts; each song is catchy, and it’s easy to get swept along by the powerful guitar sound, especially as guitarists Tom Thain and Tim Kramer throw in string screeches and stylish licks. Big meaty riffs are their forte, though, and songs like ‘Please Vacate The Planet’ and ‘Manipulate’ kick like a shot of espresso while on ‘Warning Signs’ the riffs are slower but no less crushing. You also get some really effective build-ups and pay-offs, such as the mid-verse pauses and outro to ‘Josephine’ where the guitars pause as the eye of a storm passes over, only for them to come rushing back.  The short, sharp ‘Lost In Translation’ adds variety by unleashing a ferocious mix of riffs, bass solos and thrashing drums, and as with their previous record, the band is at their best when Mitchell Thomas gets to let loose on his drum kit, giving the songs a propulsive energy, a contribution that cannot be understated.

Lois McDougall (Ex-Fallow Fields), is a surprising and talented singer. In a scene defined more by its timbre and aggression, her voice offers a rich and fluid warmth. Her powerful melodies are more than a match for the vicious hardcore-influenced music and her ability to unleash a barrage of hooks is what gives the band their edge. This is most obvious on songs like ‘Live & Let Live’ and ‘Manipulate’ where her vocals twist through a series of sharp hooks before exploding into a powerful chorus, and on the title track where McDougall is joined by Ren Aldridge of Petrol Girls, the collaboration adds a harsh bite to what is already a searing statement of intent.

A breather arrives after five songs in the form of acoustic interlude ‘Listen’, which offers a stripped-back acoustic musing that makes the best of McDougall’s voice and feels pleasingly intimate. There’s a reason slow songs usually fall toward an album’s end, however, and it does disrupt the pace – while the track is an important inclusion you can almost hear the band agonising over where to put it in the running order. Wisely they follow it up with ‘Learn’ which sets off like a sprinter leaving the starting blocks and quickly replenishes the momentum, maintaining the album’s integrity.

As with their previous record, guitarist Tim Kramer handled production duties and it works very much in the band’s favour. Not only does he understand their soul, but in ‘Our Hell is Right Here’, he’s captured it perfectly. You can feel it in the chunky guitar sound, reminiscent of ‘Sufferer and The Witness’ era Rise Against, and in the warm vocal tones that enhance the emotional content. Despite being recorded in separate sessions throughout 2020, the album has a consistent overall sound. The song ‘VOID’ deviates from this by adding a layer of synths, but it is tasteful, in-keeping and doesn’t undermine the album’s raw edge.

McDougall grappled with a series of personal challenges in 2019 and this is the biggest influence on her lyrics and the album as a whole. While ‘Exiles’ distanced itself from its emotion behind a veneer of partisan metaphor, here the political slant is all but abandoned in favour of a deep introspection. This is a double-edged sword as it gives the album a very different feel to its predecessor and ironically, because it is difficult to read these lyrics in more than one way, it makes them less engaging. However, the confessional style has a considerable emotional weight, more than making up for its relative lack of depth. This works extremely well on songs like ‘Josephine’ where the words fly thick and fast, pummelling you with a sense of loss while ‘Listen’ tempers a morose chorus with the refrain ‘if you feel like dying, you’re not alone’.  In contrast, songs like ‘Learn’ with its blunt refrain of “I still hate myself” can be quite abrasive if you’re down, but at the same time you can’t deny the lyrics bite deeply. It isn’t all doom and gloom, though, there is also plenty of levity, especially ‘Live & Let Live’ which feels upbeat and optimistic.

It is curious that ‘Epitaph’ was chosen as a single as the song ends abruptly with neither the lyrics nor music offering a resolution. It feels strangely morose compared to the other songs here where the introspection is used as a rallying cry.

‘Our Hell Is Right Here’ is a strong record from Drones. It is a little colder and a little harsher than their debut but its use of big hooks and fearsome guitars drive its raw lyrical themes making it arguably better. Passionate and powerful, it’s a blistering hardcore rollercoaster. If you like your punk catchy and abrasive, put it at the top of your list.

IAN KENWORTHY

It is taken from their upcoming second album, ‘Neither Washington Nor Moscow…Again!’, which will be released on the 26th January 2018 via End Hits Records. All proceeds from downloading the song will go towards the International Anti-Fascist Defence Fund.

The band will also be playing the following UK shows as part of a wider European tour co-presented by us at Punktastic.

FEBRUARY
05 LONDON New Cross Inn w/ Drones, Pints + Local Madman
06 BRISTOL The Exchange w/ Grand Collapse + Worst Witch
07 BRIGHTON Sticky Mike’s Frog Bar w/ River Jumpers + Evertim

photo: Brian Krijgsman

The track is taken from their upcoming new album, ‘Exiled’, which will be released on the 9th March 2018 via Lockjaw Records.

The band will also be playing the following shows.

NOVEMBER
28 LONDON Tamesis Dock w/ Pretty Pistol + River Jumpers
DECEMBER
01 CORBY Ex Servicemens Club
05 BRIGHTON The Pipeline
06 CANTERBURY UCA w/ The Half-Wits + Loose Tooth
07 PORTSMOUTH Edge of the Wedge
APRIL
19-21 MANCHESTER Manchester Punk Festival

This is to coincide with the announcement of their upcoming new album, ‘Exiled’, which will be released early next year via Lockjaw Records. You can watch the video for the first single ‘Territories’ below.

The band will also be appearing at next year’s Manchester Punk Festival, which takes place from the 19th to the 21st April 2018.

Propagandhi, Wonk Unit, The Bennies, Antillectual, Pizzatramp, Darko, Svetlanas, Nervus, Mobina Galore, Egos At the Door, Throwing Stuff, Natterers, Captain Hotknives, Uniforms, The Minor Discomfort Band, Drones, All Aboard!, Aerial Salad, Fresh, Christmas, Spoilers, Wolfbeast Destroyer, Regret, Rotten Foxes, Forever Unclean, Foxes Faux, Shankland, Incisions and The Lab Rats will play the Manchester based festival from the 19th to the 21st April 2018. More acts shall be added soon.

The event will take place across various Manchester venues including Gorilla, Rebellion, The Bread Shed, Zombie Shack, Underdog, Font and The Thirsty Scholar. Advance tickets cost £40 and can be purchased here. Keep a tab on their Facebook for future updates.

It is taken from the band’s upcoming debut album, ‘Roach’, which will be released later this year via Plasterer Records.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=30Js0088O1I

They will also be playing the following shows.

JULY
15 MANCHESTER Retro Bar w/ Roughneck Riot, Drones, Fat Randall + Habits
22 NORWICH The Salty Dog w/ The Barstool Preachers + Hummer
27 LEEDS Mabgate Bleach w/ Incisions, Johnny West Is Missing, Clayface, The Scrutches + Shackleford
SEPTEMBER
30 LONDON T.Chances w/ Blatoidea + Chewed Up
NOVEMBER
17 SCUNTHORPE The Lincoln Imp w/ Wonk Unit, The Siknotes + Dead Intentions

It is the first single from their upcoming debut album, ‘Roach’, which will be digitally available on the 21st June and physically on the 1st July through Plasterer Records.

They will also be playing the following shows.

JUNE
21 NORWICH Owl Sanctuary w/ The Bouncing Souls, Great Cynics + Hot Mass
22 LIVERPOOL North Shore Troubadour w/ Johnny West Is Missing, Bear Trap + Twin Visions
23 DERBY The Hairy Dog
24 IPSWICH The Smokehouse w/ Vanilla Pod + The Kirkz
25 MIDDLESBOROUGH Westgarth Social Club w/ Alien8, Mr. Bigfoot, Nancy + Dino Splooge
28 WARRINGTON Old Town House w/ Billy Liar + Empty Lungs
29 CANTERBURY The Lady Luck
JULY
01-02 LONDON Wonkfest, The Dome Tufnell Park
09 BOLTON Alma Inn w/ Beach Slang, Zapiain + Native Wasteland
15 MANCHESTER Retro Bar w/ Roughneck Riot, Drones, Fat Randall + Habits
22 NORWICH The Salty Dog w/ The Barstool Preachers + Hummer
SEPTEMBER
30 LONDON T.Chances w/ Blatoidea + Chewed Up

Available for PWYW download on bandcamp, the song precedes the band’s forthcoming debut album, ‘Roach’, which will be digitally available on the 21st June and physically on the 1st July through Plasterer Records.

They will also be playing the following shows.

JUNE
21 NORWICH Owl Sanctuary w/ The Bouncing Souls, Great Cynics + Hot Mass
22 LIVERPOOL North Shore Troubadour w/ Johnny West Is Missing, Bear Trap + Twin Visions
23 DERBY The Hairy Dog
24 IPSWICH The Smokehouse w/ Vanilla Pod + The Kirkz
25 MIDDLESBOROUGH Westgarth Social Club w/ Alien8, Mr. Bigfoot, Nancy + Dino Splooge
28 WARRINGTON Old Town House w/ Billy Liar + Empty Lungs
29 CANTERBURY The Lady Luck
JULY
01-02 LONDON Wonkfest, The Dome Tufnell Park
09 BOLTON Alma Inn w/ Beach Slang, Zapiain + Native Wasteland
15 MANCHESTER Retro Bar w/ Roughneck Riot, Drones, Fat Randall + Habits
22 NORWICH The Salty Dog w/ The Barstool Preachers + Hummer
SEPTEMBER
30 LONDON T.Chances w/ Blatoidea + Chewed Up

It provides a taste of the socio-political band’s upcoming yet to be titled new album due for release later this year. This will follow up to 2012 debut LP, ‘Mutiny’, on Lockjaw Records. However, this will be their first record with their new incarnation featuring vocalist Lois McDougall and guitarist Tim Kramer.

The band will also be playing the following UK shows.

JUNE
10 DONNINGTON Download Festival
JULY
15 MANCHESTER Metro Bar w/ Roughneck Riot
AUGUST
03 GUILDFORD Boileroom w/ Holding Absence
SEPTEMBER
08-10 GUILDFORD Always the Sun Festival