Euthemia, who released their debut EP Sell Me Hope two years ago, are back on form with “End”, a robust and strong mix of glam, pop, punk, and straight up hard-boiled rock.
Opening track, also titled Sell Me Hope, begins mellow enough, with a poppy-dubsteb intro, before blasting into post-hardcore territory, with Muse like vocal patterns and a simple, yet crushing riff behind it. it then dives right into a trashy second chorus, followed by a beautifully melodic middle-eight.
Vocalist Nathan Morris is a tour de force in this song, and all those that follow; elevating them above the typical hardcore scene, with a voice like an edgier Matt Bellamy.
The title-track opens heavy and catchy and reminds me of an early Young Guns, with a real head-banging foot-stomping appeal. The verse, once again, is melodic and gives everyone of the members a chance to shine. The main hook of the chorus and the repeated lyrics make it completely accessible; it’s the kind of song you hear and instantly worms its way into your head. Fast, heavy, and catchy, End is simply an utterly great song from start to finish.
Saviour opens with an eerie and hauntingly beautiful riff, backed up by Morris’ beautiful and melodic voice. The addition of the synth strings at the beginning of this song makes the break into the following heavy The Blackout-ish section even more of a juxtaposition, which whilst it might cause a few people to turn their heads suddenly, means that the song’s catchy and fast chorus can really shine. It’s a perfect example of how to produce a catchy chorus.
Paranoia People starts with an almost Deaf Havana-esque tinge, before quickly shifting into the bands unique style, mixing melodic passages with a straight up filthy, head-banging riff. Whilst the song arguably could be the weakest on the album – not really showing off all of the band’s strengths like the rest – the chorus is catchy and singalong friendly. The song does however feature an impressive (if slightly underutilized) solo, which you can quickly imagining being a crowd pleasing moment live.
Fifth track, Did It All for You, begins on a sombre note; with synths and violins backed up by Morris’ velvet-sad voice and guitarists Alex Chandler and Thomas Bridge providing an almost Silverstein-esque melody, before launching into a heavier chorus and ear pleasing, albeit sombre, lyrics. It’s the most downbeat song of the EP but also one of the most memorable. The sad lilt of the vocals, the heavy and low guitars; significantly moshpit-worthy drums and bass (courtesy of Danny Jowett and Jordan Johnson, respectively) and significantly slower than the rest of the album; showcasing a good example of the band’s variety.
Bonus track, And I’ll Disappear Again, follows a similar theme to Sell Me Hope and strangely reminds me of Cliff Martinez’s score for the movie Drive. Low, sombre synths are complimented by Morris’s understated vocals and the Matt Bellamy comparison is even more obvious to make. Lyrics from the title track are reprised and comes over like some kind of new-retrowave remix and provides a nice album closer; once again showing the sheer variety of the band, and their willingness to try new things.
The EP provides a great example of how the UK underground music scene is evolving; showing bands not afraid to experiment and also more importantly, being damn good musicians. Euthemia should be a band you listen to and more importantly a band that others should aspire to.
Words by Connor Grant
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Alternative Barnsley 