As shorthand descriptors for punk go, "anthemic" is both lazily obvious and, at times, perfectly apt. A truly inspired punk song achieves the sense of vertical lift that only an anthem can, the floor almost rising as the band kicks into that perfect shout-along chorus.
Even as a relatively new outfit (their first single dating back to just over a year ago), Halifax's Beauts already have a couple of those choruses under their belts. What's rewarding about the band's new EP, Waves/Wash, is how it keeps that fist-in-the-air feeling — borrowed gleefully from the likes of Japandroids and the Constantines — but weaves it into a knottier post-punk sound.
This time around, it's not the guitars but Erik Van Lunen's bass that propels the bulk of the songs, like on driving opener "Covers," or the more spacious "Clocked." Jeff Lawton's vocals, performed somewhere between singing and speech, are as much a rhythmic tool as a melodic one. His repetitive tone means that the EP's breakout moments, like the "tonight, tonight" chorus of "Ether," hit with extra force.
When it comes to anthems, Beauts may have more, better ones still to come, but Waves/Wash is no slouch.
(Independent)Even as a relatively new outfit (their first single dating back to just over a year ago), Halifax's Beauts already have a couple of those choruses under their belts. What's rewarding about the band's new EP, Waves/Wash, is how it keeps that fist-in-the-air feeling — borrowed gleefully from the likes of Japandroids and the Constantines — but weaves it into a knottier post-punk sound.
This time around, it's not the guitars but Erik Van Lunen's bass that propels the bulk of the songs, like on driving opener "Covers," or the more spacious "Clocked." Jeff Lawton's vocals, performed somewhere between singing and speech, are as much a rhythmic tool as a melodic one. His repetitive tone means that the EP's breakout moments, like the "tonight, tonight" chorus of "Ether," hit with extra force.
When it comes to anthems, Beauts may have more, better ones still to come, but Waves/Wash is no slouch.
