With so many pop punk bands coming out of Australia at the moment, it’s becoming harder and harder to stand out from the crowd. Loose End from Melbourne make their attempt to have an impact with their second EP ‘Overthinking Everything I Know’. The release, recorded by Chris Vernon from Belle Haven, is a follow up to their self-titled effort in 2017.
The EP opens with ‘Cracks in the Curtains’ with dropped-D crunchy riffs coming straight in followed by familiar (and welcome) chugging guitars under an upbeat verse melody. The chorus here is one of the strongest on offer from this release and almost becomes an ear-worm. The new single ‘Hiding in Someone Else‘ follows with shouting vocals that come in without warning followed by the melody. This method can work on a pop punk song but it needs to be more thought out (they would do well to listen to Senses Fail‘s song “Is It Gonna Be The Year?” from earlier in 2018).
Third track ‘Doesn’t Matter’ flows quite nicely to begin with but the chorus falls a bit flat, it feels like it is missing a big hook, in fact the best parts of the song are the ‘woahs’ after the second final choruses. ‘The Stress & The Envy’ picks things up somewhat with a bouncy riff and well thought out chorus. This is a song that could easily be found on a WSTR album (a band they unsurprisingly cite as an influence).
On ‘Identity’ Loose End push things in a slightly different direction with a somewhat heavier sound than the other tracks. Given they listen to Comeback Kid and Trapped Under Ice, it makes sense that they delve into this territory. I cannot help but feel like this song is lost in the middle, not quite working as a heavy song nor a pop punk one. Closer ‘Jordan Street‘ is the first single of the EP, and is a decent enough pop punk effort with cliched but genuine sounding lyrics, the transition from the verse to the chorus is quite impressive and shows what this band are capable of.
‘Overthinking Everything I Know’ is certainly a more interesting and enjoyable listen than their last effort. I could be wrong, but the press release simply states that they recorded the songs with Vernon, so as far as I’m aware they only engineered the release and did not produce it. I feel like the band could really do with a seasoned producer to come in and help define their sound and craft some stronger hooks. Given that this is only their second release, Loose End have time to keep pressing forward, and these skills may come with time. Their sound is still blending in too much with their pop punk peers from their home country as well as their counterparts from the US and UK. They have some way to go before they have crafted a sound as interesting as someone like Trophy Eyes (another influence they nod to).
Not so much ones to keep an eye on, more a band to keep checking up on every now and then to see how they have developed. They do, however, deserve a bonus point for not singing in a fake American accent like many other UK and Australian bands in their genre.
2.5/5 Stars