Music / coronavirus
Review: Frontline EP 02
Frontline EP 02, compiled by Bristol-based promoters The Bottle, and featuring artists from Bristol and from further afield, is the second in a series raising money for the NHS.
“We’re releasing these compilations to show the support of our music scene to those working on the frontline during this crisis,” says the team at The Bottle.
“We’re hoping as a scene we will be raising some money to help support the NHS financially, whilst also showcasing quality music that may not have seen the light of day otherwise.”
is needed now More than ever
The EP starts in a dreamy soundscape. Hull-based bdrmm kick this second EP in the series with a dazy intro.
bdrmm kick the EP off with a dreamy sound. Photo: Sam Joyce
Sultry vocals don’t kick in until halfway through the track, adding another layer of shoegaze pop to an already excellent sonic landscape. Self-described as “gross dreamy noise”, Happy proves the band’s music is just that.
Frontline EP 02 quickly picks up pace on track two. Butt No Rifle is Folly Group’s debut track. So Young magazine described it as “a stark and distressed vision of losing the sentiment of your younger-self as the overwhelming passing of time ticks further on”.
This isn’t just seen in the cutting lyrics, but in the musicality of the track as well. On the surface, the song seems sonically incoherent, jumping from one phase to the next.
On a second listen, the track shows its true colours – a despairing tale of time passing, leaping from one part of life to the next.
It’s an exciting debut from the London-based four piece, who look like a band to watch.
Bristol punk band Football FC offer a raw and exciting demo of Prince Andrew, directly referencing the defaced royal.
It’s rough, loud and angry. It’s exactly what you’d expect from the self-defined “spunk punkers”.
Coming in at just over three minutes long, it’s a song to get heated to and be thrilled by.
https://www.facebook.com/footballfootballclub/videos/535817913797076/
Track four sees the second appearance from a Bristol band. Post-punkers Home Counties are one of the latest bands to emerge on the city’s music scene, they present an 80s remix of their debut song, Redevelopment.
Already an instantly danceable track, the original tells the story of 1960s redevelopers in its first half, with the second half addressing the tearing down of their modernist buildings, replacing them with luxury flats.
The bands’ 80s remix only adds to the song’s danceable factor. A serious message – especially so for Bristol – the hype surrounding Home Counties’ following touring with DITZ and Hotel Lux is well earned.
The fifth song on the EP comes courtesy of further afield. Italia 90’s live recording of An Episode is gnarly and biting. Their punk sound in unfiltered, with cutting vocals, rough guitars and harsh drums.
The south Londoners, known as Les Miserable, J Dangerous, Bobby Portrait and Captain ACAB, provide a large helping of political punk that comes from the heart – just as it should be.
The final track, a demo of Payday Puppet from Sapphire Blues, brings it back to Bristol. It’s a gloriously lazy way to end a blood-pumping EP.
Sapphire Blues brings the EP to a close. Photo: Sapphire Blues
The inspiration from Idles is written all over the track, but it’s only a good thing. Earthy vocals drift over smooth guitars – until two and a half minutes in.
The frustration of capitalism comes to a head in the chorus, with vocalist Sam shouting the name of the song through raspy breathes.
The demo reminds the listener of the political climate – an urgent call to not forget the “hostile environment” created by the Government.
Get Frontline EP 02 at www.thebottlebristol.bandcamp.com/album/the-bottle-frontline-ep-02
Main image: The Bottle
Read more: EP featuring Bristol artists to raise money for the NHS
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