Following a considerably noisier release, Never Young delivers a tighter, yet much more raucous, abrasive four track EP embracing dissonant, chaotic principles amidst nearly melodic lines and jangly tambourine crashes. Forged from the marriage of heavy, combative punk and washes of mellow haze in kind with certain shoegaze efforts, at times this album possesses the feeling of hearing two songs simultaneously, which overlap and fight for domain. At the point of climax, the two wrap harmoniously and resolve in a moment of pure punk fantasy, only to slip off again into a state of conflict.
New and unique to this release are influences modeling the dark, sludgy marks of doom metal, boring out room for an abysmal atmosphere and hinting lightly at the crushing apocalyptic tones.
“Like a Version” begins with familiar sampling carried over from previous album, Master Copy, now serving a significantly diminished presence throughout the other three songs of the Never Young EP, setting this work apart in that fashion.
Pushing a rebellious voice from brutish, buried vocals, arriving with a sense of unification, as though you are the befitting recipient of this message of mayhem. A welcomed member of this crew set on debauchery. Yet even if this sense of brotherhood is not felt, it should be appreciated that these efforts are expounding on the experimental work of the DIY ethic from such pioneers as Fugazi, and examined with that approach it is a great concept to be seen taken further.
Rating: 6.0/10
Buy: iTunes