Wolves At Bay

I Was The Devil Once EP

Written by: PP on 24/08/2013 14:39:11

Oh, I didn't realize Make Do And Mend had put out a new EP under a different moniker. No exaggeration, there is literally nothing separating the Hamden, Connecticut-based Wolves At Bay from the first Make Do And Mend album "End Measured Mile" on their latest EP "I Was The Devil Once". Nothing at all. This, ladies and gentlemen, is how a cloned band sounds like through and through. The question that remains is, is that such a problem? After all, Make Do And Mend sourced their sound directly from "Caution" by Hot Water Music, which seems to have been a major influence for Wolves At Bay as well. In my books, as long as you write good songs, it doesn't matter if you sound like someone else. Just look at every pop punk band ever, for example.

And that, my friends, is what Wolves At Bay are pretty good at, writing solid songs. They specialize in gravelly, emotionally charged vocals, and a slow to mid tempo punk rock expression that leaves guitars resonating rawly and the vocals nicely gruff in the soundscape. "Hide Like My Friends" is fairly catchy, but it is on "Forget Who I Was" where the band play with unusual vocal melodies and return home as winners. This is the track that defines Wolves At Bay, where the vocals stretch just barely over from singing into strained ones, balancing emotion with honesty, passion and the usual stuff associated with the gravelly punk genre. It adds emotional depth and helps "I Was The Devil Once" become one of those grower type of records you always hear people raving about.

The other tracks on the EP are also good, but not quite as good as this one. Once they figure out how to write an entire full length's worth of songs like this one, they'll surely start enjoying a similarly hyped status as Make Do And Mend do within the scene. For now, a good start, a few good songs, and a lot of HWM worship going on here.

7

Download: Hide Like My Friends, Forget Who I Was
For the fans of: Make Do And Mend, Hot Water Music, Hot Damn, Pentimento
Listen: Facebook

Release date 16.04.2013
Animal Style Records

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