The five members of Barnsley’s Majority Vote average at 17.5 years old and with around forty shows already under their collective belt they also very hard working.
They have just recorded their debut EP called Playtime’s Over and if I’m totally honest, I was a little dubious before my first listen. I know I shouldn’t be but too many young female fronted bands head down the sugar coated Avril path or the goth-lite Evanescence one rather than dirtied up rock.
I had no needs to worry really. The self-titled opening track starts with a guitar riff a la The Vine’s Ride and is perfect Pop Punk. It’s a well crafted song with spot-on vocals and very reminiscent of Riot-era Paramore; although the ‘hey hey’ hand-claps at the close of the track only just fall short of MCR and Avril territory.
Visitors opens with a riff that’s very much in the same vein of Manic Street Preacher’s 1990 EP, New Art Riot (don’t believe me? Listen… although Manics were aping The Clash), and there is nothing wrong with that. If every band had the attitude they had back then, there’d be a lot more better bands.
Both Visitors and Sellout have the same raw energy and urgency of Foo Fighters and Jimmy Eat World; though luckily Sellout ends before it stops before it starts sounding like like Papa Roach’s Last Resort, rather than Bad Religion. So far though, so good.
Last track Clarity is easily the highlight here; a totally different mood to everything that went before it. It’s much darker but also totally optimistic and both the mature song writing and Haley’s voice shines.
Clarity reminded me of everything that made Silverchair such a great band when they shot to fame with Frogstomp in 1995.
…and when Hayley sings the word Clarity, you know she really means it and it.
Each and every song here is simple and well crafted. If you only want blazing guitar solo; don’t bother. Majority Vote may not be the best musicians or the best singers yet (that will definately come with time), but they can write a damn good honest song. Majority Vote have what it takes to be fantastic.
Although they were brought up in a world of post-Nirvana pop racket like Paramore and My Chemical Romance, these guys have a much more vintage approach to song writing – think a grunge The Runaways.
The band could go in a number or directions. They have the ability to be a very polished pop act in the best or they could easily go down a darker route. I look forward to finding out which.
Download the EP for free here…
Or visit their facebook page here…
RATING: 7.5/10
Why not try…
- Silverchair – Frogstomp (Murmur Records, 1995)
- Kittie – Spit (Artemis Records, 1999)
- Manic Street Preachers – Generation Terrorists (Columbia, 1992)
- Paramore – Riot! (Fueled By Raman Records, 2007)
Alternative Barnsley 