Melodic punk that straddles the line between aggression, intensity and emotion.
Vocalist Philip Cox has stated that the record deals thematically with hope and optimism in the face of a world that seems to be crumbling, the subject matter dealing with overcoming hard times and struggles, and for all of their in your face energy and passion, Fights and Fires are equally content to inhabit a more vulnerable and introspective space, with Cox’s usually commanding voice being tremulous and seemingly on the edge of breaking on more than one occasion. In the EP’s most emotive moments it is reminiscent of The Wonder Years, The Menzingers and Spanish Love Songs, though rooted lyrically in bleak British suburbia rather than Americana.
The contrast between rip-roaring, uptempo punk replete with sing-along choruses and the more reflective passages is certainly enough to hold attention over the EPs duration, and it is to it’s credit that the tracks themselves have been trimmed of any and all fat. Future Plans And The Things that Ruin Them is a rewarding, if lean offering that is hopefully just a warm up lap in advance of a creative resurgence in the wake of the pandemic, rather than a culmination of the ideas formulated over the last two years.
Noizze