
The 4 track EP opens up with “Ok To Break”, which apart from a steady rhythmic intro, descends in to a frantic paced gravelly punk number. Ryan Walker’s vocals coarse and unpolished but it’s that very style that separates it from your typical pop punk band. A lot of musical elitists complain about bands sounding like they are aiming too much for the mainstream (selling out) and sounding over commercialised, or over produced…not YLD. This is punk as it should sound; real.
“Life Lines & Land Mines” starts off slightly more pop punk sounding, but it’s still rough enough to distinguish itself. Musically there’s a little more of the Senses Fail influence on display, drummer Naff driving the song forward, guitarists Chris and Matt , as well as bassist Bill maintaining a steady and solid tone to the track. The odd breakdown, sturdy riffs, its good stuff, before third track “Gatwick: It’s Terminal” kicks in with a more “in your face” approach. Not a great deal different from the previous track, just sounding slightly more urgent, sounding hungrier, which really benefits the genre. It’s not ground breaking but its how it’s supposed to sound, which is good.
The final track then, “67-94” (which happens to be Kurt Cobain’s life span) is a song about reaching the end generally, and not actually about the NIRVANA front man himself. It’s an inspired title, to perfectly encapsulate the feeling of closure, finality and realising you’ve done all you can. A sense of, it’s better to go out in a blaze of fire, than to fade away into nothing. Go out with a bang so to speak (no ill humour intended there), and it’s a great way to end the EP. It’s poignant, meaningful, and altogether a fitting way to summarise a fantastic EP. Punk rock at its core is brash, it’s dog-eared and pretty sketchy on times, but it retains a charm that isn’t found elsewhere in music. YLD, despite their location, sound like the kind of band that could make an impression on the world scene, with a real quality sound behind them. Like I said, the last thing you’d expect from south Devon is a proper old-school punk band…but life is full of surprises. Your last day? Let’s hope it’s not really… [7.5]
To download the EP for FREE, go here! https://yourlastday.bandcamp.com/
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