Trophy Eyes

Mend, Move On

Written by: PP on 26/11/2015 22:25:02

Here's a ferocious punk rock release we missed last year and slotted for coverage due to Trophy Eyes being on the Anti-Flag tour that hits Copenhagen this weekend (which they dropped out of in the end). "Mend, Move On" is a thunderous mixture between the technical insanity of A Wilhelm Scream, the innovative and spazz-laden approach to punk rock by PEARS, and the melodic hardcore-inspired, raspy punk of No Trigger. In other words, a curiously balanced mix between melody and relentless fury, delivered at blinding speeds over coarsely screamed, yet entirely decipherable vocals and tight riffs with melodic undertones. There's even some pop hardcore in the vein of old school A Day To Remember in the mix (see: "Best Man") that should get the pit bouncing.

In other words, Trophy Eyes deliver a curious, surprisingly refreshing take on the genre by not falling into any particular pigeonhole within the style. The songs are ambitious technically, yet deliver the goods when it comes to raw tempo and urgency, and still manage to be surprisingly catchy in the process. To find dozens of kids screaming their lungs off while vaulting against each other and the stage at small club shows shouldn't be a surprise rather than the norm based on how these songs are designed. "Family Name" and "Responsibility And Structure" are two other songs that do particularly good in balancing the melodic with the heavy, and while they're not quite as ridiculously catchy as No Trigger's equivalents, they leave a lasting mark on the listener nonetheless. The piercing vocals are razor-sharp to say the least, making us feel remorse for singer John's throat after the damaging treatment it receives throughout the album, but it's also this passionate delivery that gives "Mend, Move On" its urgency.

The songs are explosively energetic and positively in-your-face all of the time, with no breathing room left for the faint-hearted. There's even a classic hardcore "BLEH" integrated into "Ugly Pattern" just before the song breaks into early Polar Bear Club esque guitar melodies that race away at an unstoppable speed. It makes for an intense listen, but I have a feeling that's exactly what Trophy Eyes were going for. A little catchier songs and there's no doubt it would've been on many end-of-year lists last year.

7

Download: Best Man, Family Name, Responsibility And Structure
For the fans of: PEARS, A Wilhelm Scream, No Trigger, After The Fall
Listen: Facebook

Release date 04.11.2014
Hopeless Records

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