Towers of London

Fuck It Up (2005)

Jordan Rogowski

I'll be up front, this is going to be a real short review. But for less than five minutes of music, there's only so much one can do.

In fact, Towers of London's Fuck It Up EP probably shouldn't have even been released on CD format, as it lends itself far better to the 7", but that's not what's important here. What is important is the four and a half minutes of balls to the wall punk rock brought through your speakers courtesy of Towers of London. Riding the spirit of `77, these two raucous tunes full of heavy distortion, snotty vocals, and great gang vocals will surely grab your attention. "Fuck It Up" is the first, and better track, and the rally cries of "fuck it up!" coupled with the great guitar work are sure to both win you over and make you sing along no matter what. It's a fast tune, but maintains just the right level of grit and intensity without going overboard.

The second track, "Down in the Streets," also has an ample level of intensity.

Having a much more back and forth feel to it, the guitar work is much more on display than in "Fuck It Up," and it really bodes well for the overall songwriting skill of the band. There's no outlandish soloing, but the soloing that does exist is both necessary and concise. It fits the track well, and gives Towers of London that opportunity it needed to show every facet of their songwriting. Sure, these are pretty simple songs, but they're songs that'll be stuck in your head for days to come, and they're songs that provide a lot more depth than the measly runtime of the EP would have you believe.