1971

1971 (2014)

mikebored

1971: a sludge punk trio of self described "Denim Daddies of the North West" whose music is a very interesting mix of hard rock along with hardcore and melodic punk to varying degrees of extent. The music is raw, rough and unpolished but shows talent and promise that translates to some pretty cool stuff on their 6 track self-titled E.P on Faxed Records.

Starting off the E.P is the self-titled track "1971" with a fast paced beat that speaks for itself in speed, attitude and lyricism. This is definitely something you could expect from an Only Crime or even a Cage The Elephant record. Guitar riffs and breakdowns help set the tone for the rest of the release as it takes you from one song to the next.

The next few tracks bring a real and determined hardcore sound to life, especially "Gentlemen Wash Their Hands" and the outro at the end of the song that let the instruments do the talking with their slightly out of tune and quirky approach to an already hazy and dreamy song. "Existential Crisis For Only $400 A Month" is definitely reminiscent to almost any Fall of Troy track you can think of: anything from the speedy guitars, fast-paced drums and melodic vocals singing about something beautiful that's actually never actually referred to what it is in the song at all.

Overall it's a nicely wrapped and presented punk release that includes everything you would expect from most punk albums:

Gritty vocals? Check.
Fast Paced Drums? Check.
Slightly Out of Tune Guitar Riffs and Solos? Check.
Angsty Lyrics? Check.
Interesting Song Titles? Check.

As mentioned before this band brings about an entrancing hardcore/melodic mix to their sound, not bad for a bunch of Canadian dudes from somewhere as cold as Kenora, Ontario.