Transit

Something Left Behind EP

Written by: DR on 04/03/2011 16:56:57

EPs from established bands such as Transit are generally something for the hardcore fans, for those who can never get enough, who want just a little bit more to keep them ticking over between albums. One could argue that "Something Left Behind" is just that: one for the fans. But these are a rare kind of beast that seem to appeal to more than just your average pop-punk-philes, and that makes this release an interesting proposition.

Six of the nine tracks are acoustic - five of which are acoustic interpretations of songs previously heard. It's always interesting to hear how well bands can translate their work to the stripped-down nature of acoustic music, and for a band like Transit who rely on their energy and aggression you might be initially skeptical. Don't be. For what makes their music so special isn't the energy or aggression, but their sincerity.

If you heard this version of "Please, Head North" for the first time you would swear it was the original; the vocal interplay of Joe Boynton, Tim Landers and Joe Lacy doesn't lose an ounce of its magic, the emotional semi-shouts overlapping the clean singing isn't out of place and doesn't disturb the flow - not just in that song, but any of them, it only brings you back around to that word 'sincerity' again. "Hope This Finds You Well" is more striking than the original as Boynton has the emotional depth and vocal range to pull the listener in with "Maybe you got what you deserved / There's no future when every bridge is burned" in its now bare form.

There is one slice of pop-punk Transit-ness with the catchy-as-hell "1978", which, from a lyrical perspective, is one of their finest to date. The most encouraging aspect of this EP, however, is opener "Indoor Voices" as it demonstrates they can step out of their pop-punk sound quite comfortably, adopting emo-inspired instrumentation and a dose of eletronic drum beats. This experimentation promises a future for them should they decide to shed their pop-punk label.

Nine tracks and twenty-seven minutes treads the unsure waters between EP and LP, but this doesn't have the cohesion of a full-length. What it does give us, though, is a little more of Transit - without sounding too much like Transit as we've come to expect them - doing what they do best: giving us good music.

Download: Indoor Voices; Please, Head North; 1978; Hope This Finds You Well
For The Fans of: Transit; The Spill Canvas' "Sunsets And Car Crashes
Listen: Bandcamp

Release Date 22.02.2011
Mightier Than Sword Records

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