Pentimento/Young English EP Review
It is always difficult to judge the quality of a band from three original tracks and one cover, but both of these bands have the potential to go on to bigger things if they build on this EP.
rating: 3
Facebook: www.facebook.com/PentimentoNY / www.facebook.com/YoungEnglishBand Release date: 17th April 2012 Punk rock is still alive and well. Take this split EP from Panic Records, showcasing two upcoming talents in Pentimento and Young English. Both hailing from the state of New York, they each offer their own take on melodic punk rock with hardcore influences, similar to other American bands such as I Am The Avalanche and Title Fight and bands a little closer to home such as Lower Than Atlantis. First up are Pentimento and opening track Lespirit De Escalar sums up the bands sound well, with a quiet intro exploding into cries from the lead singer accompanied by a crunching guitar line, with heartfelt lyrics adding emotional weight to the punky instrumental backing. Whilst the vocals are strong and suit the music well, the instrumental section of this band manage to hold everything together well, and when they are allowed to break free like in the breakdown on No Apology, it creates some of the best moments to be found on this EP. Each band ends their side of the EP with a cover track, something which I am not too fond of, as on a short EP such as this I think the bands should develop their own style and show off their own material as much as possible, whilst letting their influences shine through instead of displaying them so obviously as covering a song. However, Pentimentos cover of Dashboard Confessionals The Places You Have Come To Fear The Most is well done, and may well gain them new fans from listeners who enjoy the original and through discovering the cover might look at their original output. Young English are more pop-punk orientated than Pentimento, but they are arguably the stronger band on the EP with emotional punk that could draw comparisons with bands such as The Wonder Years, Fireworks and Man Overboard. Old Wives Tale is the best example of this, with its mid-tempo stomp and passionate screams creating a powerful atmosphere. Unfortunately they suffer from the same problem as Pentimento, which is the lack of hooks to their music. They have put together a strong selection of songs and are definitely technically proficient, but I struggled to have anything stick in my head even after multiple listens back to back. In spite of not being a fan of cover songs, covering Smashing Pumpkins Tonight, Tonight was a bold decision by the band due to the stature of the original and the uniqueness of Billy Corgans voice, but they adapted it into their own style well and I have to give them credit for re-imagining such an ambitious song. It is always difficult to judge the quality of a band from three original tracks and one cover, but both of these bands have the potential to go on to bigger things if they build on this EP. Itll make a great little soundtrack to the glorious Summer weather.