Cold Summer

Wake EP

Written by: PP on 21/11/2012 22:04:16

Earlier this year I had the opportunity to check out a band-in-progress called Cold Summer from Wakefield, UK on their debut EP "Transitions" EP. It echoed influences from the late 90s post-hardcore scene, most notably Quicksand and Finger Eleven to name the most obvious parallels here, but it was too badly produced and flawed to garner any sort of praise. It's a good thing then that their sophomore EP "Wake" is out so fast, as it's a radical improvement on most counts, but most importantly in the songwriting department.

Basically, if their manner of piecing a song together was suspect at best before, throughout "Wake" they demonstrate good post-hardcore dynamics at play from the coarse, crackling screams to the clean singing contrast on the side. They still have issues with production, but even that area has been remedied somewhat so the songs at least sound listenable this time around. They draw just enough from alternative rock to draw in brief glimpses of Incubus circa "Make Yourself"-era, but these thoughts bleed away rapidly as soon as the band's vocalist launches into his screaming, which turns an otherwise catchy song like "A Is For Arson" into rather generic post-hardcore that's still a long way from its influences. It's a good improvement overall, but not drastic enough to make a difference just yet. Perhaps Cold Summer should consider pausing their release schedule for a moment to spend more time on the songs, and something good will come out of it for sure.

6

Download: A Is For Arson, Car Crash (In Progress)
For the fans of: Quicksand, Finger Eleven, old Incubus
Listen: Bandcamp

Release date 28.05.2012
Self-Released

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