Dynamite Dynamite–so good they named them twice. Well, maybe not, but for a relatively unknown band from the North of England, this debut five-track self-released EP does put them on an upwards path towards some level of fame or, more likely, raising awareness of the band across the punk rock world.

There does seem to be a bit of a Fest-type influence at play here, and it wouldn't be a surprise to me if one, some, or all of this band have made the pilgrimage to Gainesville for the annual music festival that occurs in October. I'm not saying that in a disparaging way, as I'm annually jealous of a friend who attends the aforementioned gathering, but there does seem to be something that would allow Dynamite Dynamite to fit in with a lot of the bands featured in the lineups over the years.

Vocally, Jam (sweet name) has a slightly gruff quality to his voice, and on occasions he does seem to be straining a bit to hit certain notes, almost making me wince a bit, but for the main part he provides a rough and ready delivery with a fine English accent. What makes this EP for me, though, is the guitar sound, which I find a lot clearer than one might expect and comes across as edgy and spot-on for the music the band are playing.

Five self-penned songs feature with the wonderfully titled "Give Me a Pen and I'll Write My Own History" kicking off proceedings and providing a strong start. With another decent track, "BattleKid: Fortress of Peril" following, it's the middle track "The Drive and the Avenue" which confounds me the most here. On each play I begin by not liking the song, mainly the opening vocals, and although I can't really put my finger on it, as it plays through I find myself really getting into it with no explanation at all for what changes my mind about the track.

Closing out the EP is "Dead End", followed by "Sorry, Did I Break Your Concentration", with both songs maintaining the consistency that, apart from my problem with the beginning of "The Drive and the Avenue", is evident across all five tracks.

So, here we have another decent Brit band, following in the wake of the likes of Crazy Arm, Bangers, Caves, Calvinball, the Magnificent, etc. Okay, they might not be up there with those in the higher echelon, but they merit a listen as they've produced a good EP with some catchy tuneage and deserve the chance to grow under our watchful gaze. You can even pick this up for free from the band's bandcamp page.