Bangers

Good Livin' EP [7-inch] (2012)

Rich Cocksedge

You know how if you have a favorite restaurant and when they add a new dish to the menu, you might be a bit wary of if it will stack up your previous experiences when you try that dish? Well, Bangers are a bit like that for me, but obviously in a musical sense. To date, this Cornish trio has yet to put out a dud release and although I'm always eager to catch up on new material, I frequently wonder if it'll match the band's back catalog.

With this being one of two new releases due out around now, this four-song EP basically ticks all the boxes that the band generally does as a matter of fact: melodic, choppy punk rock with insightful and well written lyrics, all delivered in a manner becoming one of the U.K.'s finest exponents of punk rock. Perhaps it's being from the depths of Cornwall, a county that is large in size and relatively low in population (until the summer months when it's invaded by holidaymakers) that give the band time to work on honing its skills in all departments.

Opening with the title track, Bangers are clearly in the mood to entertain whilst singing of subjects often far from being exhilarating and motivating, but which still remain of interest, primarily through the lyrical content which conveys situations that some might term as bleak, others seeing them as the day-to-day shit that many have to deal with to get by. "The Borrowers" is the highlight for me, with some of the best lyrics in any Bangers song, and more of the somewhat disheartening sentiments surrounding working to effectively pay off the "monument of debt" that those not fortunate to be in the wealthy 1 percent, have weighing down on their shoulders.

Having a favorite track doesn't mean that there is any weak song on the EP, as all four songs on this release match up to each other nicely. In addition to the previously named tracks both "The Mitigation Committee" and "A Man Like Jack McCall" help create a strong EP that is a worthy reflection of this band's talents.

Initially I felt that this was Bangers continuing to do what they do so well, but having recently played a variety of Bangers tracks I do think that there is still movement upwards from this threesome and that it is possible for them to gain a bigger audience. It will be interesting to see how they get on supporting Blink-182 at the Eden Project this summer in front of a very big crowd. It could open many doors for them if they're that way inclined.