Campaign

Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice! EP

Written by: PP on 13/06/2011 04:22:01

The previous Campaign EP "It Likes To Party" was a solid punk / original post-hardcore record in the vein of Hot Water Music and Small Brown Bike, but it was too similar to its obvious influences to really stand out. That's something the band has improved significantly on their new four track EP "Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice!", which can be viewed as the release where Campaign elevates themselves from merely copying Hot Water Music into having their own distinguishable, melodic identity.

And what a record it is. It might be done in fewer than ten minutes overall, but the four two-minute punches the band delivers are like precision-guided bombs of melodic awesomeness headed straight into the part of your brain where you treasure the catchiest songs you've heard this year. With just the right amount of gravelly texture in his voice a la Hot Water Music and Jawbreaker, vocalist York Henderson has an amazing sense for rough, yet instantly memorable and sing-a-longable punk anthems. Whether it means explosive post-hardcore vocals in the vein of Bear Vs Shark or just the right contrast between melody-drenched wooah-oooh gang shouts (see "Old Blues") and high-energy melodic shouts, he nails it on all songs, finally lifting himself to a level where he stands out on his own even when compared to the great vocalists in the genre. He has a warm, heartfelt way of singing and screaming, which adds a ton of emotion and urgency to the band's sound.

Then again, he gets great help from his fellow band members, who deliver some of the tightest and most hook-laden Hot Water Music inspired instrumental support I recall hearing in a while. They really create the perfect dynamic for Henderson to work on, with the distorted, but warmly melodic and harshly textured guitar sound and charismatic bass-lines each being a highlight in its own on the EP. It's safe to say that raw Hot Water Music-inspired punk doesn't come much better than what Campaign's four songs display here, so its only downside is its short length, which prevents me from giving a much higher rating. If they're able to deliver a full length of ten tracks of equal quality, we'll easily be in the top-5 this year. Seriously though, check out this dude's voice. It's fuckin' great!

8

Download: Whole EP for free, legally
For the fans of: Hot Water Music, Small Brown Bike, Jawbreaker
Listen: Bandcamp

Release date 22.03.2011
Self-Released

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