Every time I say I’m going to get better at doing album reviews regularly, I fail so I’m not going to say it this time but I will say that I am due for some new music. Self-employment life is amazing, don’t get me wrong, but it has me spending much more time at home. I’ve noticed I consistently listen to the same early 2000’s pop-punk crap I have been listening to for years so let’s take a listen to Battery Eyes’ new EP ‘ZERO ONE’ and see if it can help get me out of this state of redundancy!
“Burn Out” is the first track on this EP and, sadly, also the quickest. Although it doesn’t kick in until after a few seconds of radio noise, it instantly lays out Battery Eyes’ good ol’ fashioned rock n’ roll sound. It took a second for my ears to adjust to the more garage-rock recording quality of this EP but it fits the sound so perfectly. Gritty but with an undeniable hooky chorus, this opening track had me sold on Battery Eyes and was absolutely an instant favorite of mine even though it is less than three minutes long.
Second on this five-song EP is “In This Dream”. Although the garage-rock vibe is still alive and well with this one, I got a more tender approach to the vocals. Don’t get me wrong, this is not a ballad song at all but there’s just something a little bit more intensely emotional with every word which I really loved. Much like one “Burn Out”, gang vocals drive the chorus home in a very infectious way and with an undeniable sense of energy that I so badly needed on this rainy and dreary Tuesday afternoon. There’s almost a post-punk feeling to this song that is just part of Battery Eyes’ distinct sound palette and I love the way it blends with the power of their standard rock vibe.
There’s a sense of swagger that comes with the opening lick in “Run Down the List”. With a bit more of a tight leash on the tempo, this track just has a sense of attitude in it and really expands on that almost post-punk vibe heard slightly in “In This Dream”. Again, gang vocals take the lead in this track but I will say that the more restrained tempo and overall space between phrases and explosions of sound made this four-minute song feel a bit long. It’s not at all bad but I think that I just personally really liked the punchiness that came with the first two tracks on this EP.
That punchiness comes back in “Answers” but takes a new form. This song drops some of the garage-rock grit heard in the first few songs and really gives clarity to Battery Eyes’ sound which I appreciated. With lyrics that feel a bit more like spoken word poetry when compared to the previous songs, there was a feeling of angst that I got from this song that I loved. I also feel like this new clarity really gives you some insight into the intricacies that this band puts into their songs. The drum hits are flawless and every note on the guitar and bass is played with an undeniable sense of precision. It’s easy to tell that this band is full of true musicians from the first moment that you hit play on it but I feel like musicianship and talent are really given the spotlight in “Answers”.
Closing out this stellar five-song EP is “Bought and Sold” which brings back that intensity of “Burn Out” with an almost IDLES-like attitude that I instantly fell head over heels for. There’s this punk edge in “Bought and Sold” which I can’t help but wonder if it was there throughout the previous songs and I was just too in my head about finding little intricacies that I completely missed it. Regardless, what a way to end an EP. Nay, it doesn’t really end the EP, it just makes you want to go back and listen to this entire thing again which is exactly what I plan on doing!
My Favorite Track(s): “Burn Out”; “Answers”
For Fans Of: Hints of Post-Punk Vibes; Angst; Garage-Rock
Mosh-ability: 6 out of 10
What My Cats Thought Of It: Artie slept on the couch; Autumn glared at me from the kitchen floor because I had just yelled at her for scratching on the couch
How Badly I Want To See This Performed Live: 7 out of 10
My Overall Rating: 8.6 out of 10
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