Out of the ashes rise a freshly independent Haggard Cat, free of the shackles of record label tomfoolery, the noisy Nottingham duo comprised of Matt Reynolds and Tom Marsh are primed with riffs, riffs and more bloody riffs on their new EP Cheer Up.
Leading with the blistering ‘Quit Your Jobs’, which rockets along with all the grace of a speeding freight train hijacked by adrenaline junkies, the band waste no time in re-assuring fans that when it comes to the music, nothing has changed, and if anything, the freshly ignited fire of their new found freedom shines through. ‘Amateur Dramatics’ drops the bolstered speed in exchange for an absolutely stonking great chorus, ready to shred the vocal chords of any fan who wants to sing it back at a show. The unhinged tones of the guitar here compliment the theme of trepidation in the lyricism here, while Matt screams “try not to panic!”, a message sure to resonate with many of us living under the current state of affairs right now.
Then comes ‘Water Me Down’, and the headbanging hasn’t stopped yet, there’s a lot of pent up aggression and frustration being unleashed here. A lot of the lyrics understandably so come from the bands recent experience feeling held back, (or perhaps, watered down) by record label politics, and Cheer Up serves as their freedom cry. A roller-coaster ride that doesn’t relent, ‘Fucking TV’ continues these themes as well, the steady rhythm of the drums boosting the frenetic distortion of the guitar. This is Haggard Cat as we know and love them, but this time they’re really, really pissed off.
Final track ‘COW’ drops a little bit of bounce into the mix, and there’s some nifty guitarwork throughout, but ultimately this EP is a short and sweet burst of sheer rage and frustration channelled into 5 tracks of DOOM style rip and tear shredding. Simply, it’s utterly glorious. Haggard Cat are pushing forward into a new future where the band retains complete creative control over their endeavours, and if the Cheer Up EP is any sort of indication, this is the beginning of something truly fantastic.