It’s February 2015 and already Barnsley is immersed in new releases, from the likes of alt-indie stalwarts The Black Lamps, to the deeper, darker alt-rock of Spy Eye. In amongst them are Under The Influence with their debut EP, Rumbling of a Giant. I gave this a whirl to give you a review.
Shae It opens the EP. It sounds a little The Buzzcocks or The undertones and promises far more punk. I think a band could benefit from keeping this sound. It is definitely more traditional than barrier crashing that follows, but I see nothing wrong with that.
The contemptuously titled F**K Y*U is actually quite a melodic little number. Laced with punky short sharp vocal couplets and matching guitar phrases, it makes me think of The Buzzcocks.
Moments In Time is very nice indeed and far more introspective, maybe offering something of a love song. It does veer more towards indie but as a third track it adds weight to this five track offering. The ‘lighter waving’ song during the bands stadium tour maybe?
Following is A Night To Remember, a lament to one of ‘those’ nights. The subject matter isn’t lost on most songwriters; we went out, got drunk and laced it with a punky little upbeat track the very next day. There is also an interesting time signature here.
Closing the EP is Had My Time. It’s more of the same but far more in the grunge range of Green Day; Barnsley does have a history of rock so this isn’t surprising. It does however spawn a superb middle lead riff, a rather confusing middle eight, maybe to breach the musical mould? Also, another interesting time signature. Try dancing to this one!
The opening track is my favourite from the EP; it sounds more Under The Influence and less ‘Oasis’ like the some other tracks. That said, I hope the band continue to grow and formulate their sound. I think we could all then, have a night to remember.
Words by Ryan Oxley.
Can Ryan’s new music show on Penistone FM, every Friday night from 8-10pm.
Under The Influence can be via on facebook and reverbnation.
Rumbling Of A Giant is available from both itunes and amazon.
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