The Briggs

The Briggs [7-inch] (2015)

Ricky Frankel

LA street punks The Briggs released their self-titled EP in mid-2015, their first new material in a couple of years. And they have definitely brought their heavily melodic punk style up to the next level with this five-track release.

Of the many punk EP’s to come out in 2015, this one has to be one of the most musically consistent. Each of the five tracks holds up to other. You won’t find any filler here. It is pretty clear however, that the songs “Gridlocked” and “Seriously, How Old Are You?” are the centerpieces of this release.

“Gridlocked” by far shows how skilled the band is at writing an anthemic punk rock tune. The song starts out soft with a clean guitar riff, but it quickly gets louder with Joey Briggs’ masterfully singing the aggressive and high pitched melody while this sort of “wall” of distortion comes from the guitars. The most interesting part of this track though as to be the drums. During the chorus, the drummer transitions to playing the offbeat, instead of keeping a normal rhythm and it adds so much to this song.

“Seriously, How Old Are You?” though just as musically well put together, is a bit of a safer song lyrically. With lines like “No I can’t get my head on straight/ You would think by now I would have my shit together,“ the song does come off a little cliché, but don’t let that deter you from listening to it because its such a catchy tune that it is very easy to look past all that. The backing vocalists sing these big “woahs” and Joey Briggs brings his vocal A-game here as well.

The Briggs is a band that should not be overlooked and definitely should not be underestimated. The melodies, the hooks, the vocals, and the musicianship are all great on this 7-inch. It is just another example of how this band is one of LA’s great local acts. I saw them live in December and they ruled. Give this EP a shot if you haven’t already.

You can check this EP out here.