End Of Pipe

Keep Running EP

Written by: PP on 25/12/2014 13:31:12

It's not often we receive submissions from exotic locations like Brazil, especially not within punk rock. Here we are though with End Of Pipe, a Brazilian quartet who basically sound like a less experienced version of Make Do And Mend on their new EP "Keep Running". Both opening track "Fall" and follow-up "Pollution" sound so similar to Make Do And Mend's debut album "End Measured Mile" that there are legitimate grounds for accusations of ripping off present. That said, the band do a decent job at emulating the raw, gravelly brand of punk rock that is of course originally pioneered by the likes of Hot Water Music, Jawbreaker and to an extent Small Brown Bike.

Speaking of which, HWM and SBB get their tribute on the EP as well. "Rain", for example, toys with a different kind of melody than the MDAM worship earlier, here more heavily drenched in HWM/SBB style nostalgia-driven punk rock instead. Riff-wise, the band write lots of interesting and challenging melodies that require more than a few listens to get into, true to the example set by HWM and SBB on their respective albums. This also means the songs have a layer of depth extra from your standard fare basement punk bands, and gives the record a chance to grow on its listener properly. However, the vocals aren't nearly as charismatic and instantly recognizable as they need to be. They are gravelly and fit well into the soundscape, but the less than stellar production leaves them often a little too faded and lacking in power compared to the instrumentation. This has the unfortunate effect that many songs which sound like they could have potential get stuck into a limbo mode where they linger around with a promise of sounding good, but one that's never delivered in full.

For their next release, End Of Pipe must a) get a crisper production with a proper balance between everything in the mix, and b) work on an identity that doesn't immediately connect the band to three different bands who are significantly better in comparison. This can be achieved by further channeling that influence but instead writing the same melodies over again, use them as inspiration to write something a little more original with only nuances of said bands' expression present. Then we're talking. For now, it's a decent stab at gravelly punk rock with a good amount of depth instrumentally, but not much more than that.

Download: Jack, Fall
For the fans of: Make Do And Mend, Hot Water Music, Small Brown Bike
Listen: Facebook

Release date 18.08.2014
Bomber Music

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