reviews

Social Youth Cult Bring Dark and Gothic Vibes with Debut EP, Memento Vivere – EP REVIEW

11th Jun 2024 — Leave a comment

Memento Vivere sees Social Youth Cult set out their stall with 14 minutes of distorted gothic post punk.

Across five tracks, the group impresses with tight and well-thought-out songs, which have allowed them to build their name within the North East music scene. Opener Temporary Love sets the scene nicely, highlighting vocalist Shaun Greer’s baritone vocals, which combine nicely with the chorus laden guitar lines. By the time the song hits the chorus, Greer’s vocals hit full croon over a bed of beautifully distorted guitars.

The amazing resonant vocal style is something that continues across the EP, with Greer’s vocals, sounding like a twisted mix of Joy Division’s Ian Curtis and Morrissey (without the problematic connotations). This helps immediately set the dark and moody tone of the record.

You Do It To You has an almost wall-of-sound approach at times with guitars, drums, and bass forming a dark, ominous wall in the chorus. Leaving no decibel untouched, the track shows the band’s diversity and ability to set various different atmospheres with their instrumentation. The guitar solo on the track had echos of Joy Division with its starkness within the mix.

This gives way to Moonlight’s driving bass and guitar lines with verses that feel inspired by groups such as The Killing Joke. The track also features a gorgeous guitar solo illustrating the playing abilities of guitarist Holly Moore and adding a beautiful touch to Moonlight.

The opening of Hollow sees the guitar crash in over the bass line like a wave against a pier upping the energy of the EP. As the chorus hits, Greer bellows, “hollow me vacant you,” continuing the melachonic, heavy tone of the song.

Gone With The Beast concludes the EP by reflecting upon toxic masculinity. Greer’s vocals are almost chant-like in the chorus and continue to gain intensity as the track continues, bringing the EP to a passionate conclusion.

Overall, this debut EP from Social Youth Cult shows promising signs for the future, giving the listener all they could possibly want from a goth group with some excellent post-punk tinged tracks. It is clear why the group is gaining attention in the North East music scene and are very much ones to watch as they continue their musical journey.

Make Friends With Hell – BLACK SURF – EP Review

6th May 2024 — Leave a comment

Black Surf’s “Make Friends With Hell” is a fun, surf rock tinged EP. Taking influence from the likes of Weezer, this four track EP takes gorgeous melodies and drenches them in distortion to amazing results.

The EP explodes into life with “Lights Out” with its Weezeresic intro and power pop leanings. The riffs on the track rival the Burj Khalifa for size, towering over the track and leaving no decibel behind. This wall of sound approach is consistent throughout the EP, with the band wearing their 90’s rock influences as a badge of pride.

The vocals add a touch of emo angst to the opener, matching the emotive nature of the guitars which lay below them.

“Lights Out” gives away to “Vultures” with its heavily distorted intro. The track keeps the high energy up with its driving drum track, with them especially taking a beating on the chorus, creating a beautiful cacophony of noise.

“Oh, Poor Me” begins with a huge wall of guitars, very much reminiscent of bands such as Joyce Manor.

The track appears to take influence from various groups, with the quiet loud nature of the verses and choruses reminiscent of groups such as Nirvana and Pixies, and vocals on the chorus channelling Billy Corgan with their grungey quality.

The light sprinkling of Moog-esic synthesisers on the track adds to that 90s rock vibe and adds a nice contrast to the guitars in a similar fashion to early Rentals songs. As time passes, the track sinks further and further into its sludgey sound to excellent effect, submerging the listener in its crunch.

Closing with “Baby Blue Washburn”, Black Surf takes 60s surf rock and sends it over a wave of distortion. The sweet melodies and bass-led verses smash into massive crunching choruses, which are joyful to the ears and bring the EP to a satisfying conclusion.

Overall, I really enjoyed this EP. The group’s talent for songwriting shines through these four tracks, which are both sweet and sour at the same time. If you’re a fan of groups like Weezer and Joyce Manor, you’ll love this EP. You can hear it here.