Esprit De Corps

Under Constant Influence

Written by: PP on 06/12/2009 21:41:23

Denver, Colorado based Esprit De Corps (morale of a group) dwell somewhere between emotional hardcore punk and experimental post-hardcore with their new EP "Under Constant Influence". On one hand it's possible to imagine the band's intense expression to instigate chaotic circle pits in live environments, but the keytar supplement behind the rest of the instruments has the effect of creating a similar internalized feeling of rage that you could notice on Brand New's "The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me". Throw in a bit of Boysetsfire influence brought by the strained, scratchy yell/scream of their vocalist, and you've got two of the most respected bands in music industry audibly influencing the same band. Lips drooling yet? Especially the EP closer "Forget The Titanic, We Sink Faster" is a great example of a Brand New-esque build up.

Other legendary bands whose influence can be heard in Esprit De Corps' expression include Small Brown Bike and Planes Mistaken For Stars. It should be noted, however, that the band never sounds like a clone or a rip off rather than a product of the members having grown up listening to these bands, so all the elements are merged together naturally into their own interpretation of despaired screaming and DIY punk sounds. Mildly restrained vocal aggression is met with discordant melody and angular guitars, creating an about-to-burst feeling to the band's repressed delivery. Every lyric vocalist Chris spits out sounds explosive in an oddly calming manner; the paradox is possible because of the way his throat sounds like it is about to tear apart each time he lets another rending scream loose, but yet you couldn't imagine this guy bouncing off the stage walls in a live environment. Simply put, it's a feeling originating from the heart that Chris wants to contain but can do so just barely.

"Under Constant Influence" is over in just under 15 minutes, so there's not much more that can be said about the record. Expect a raw, DIY version of your favorite emotional, experimental post-hardcore bands and realize that this is probably how their monumental songs started out: near demo-quality, full of emotion, and untampered with by producers wishing to imprint their own idea of how the songs should sound like. A good start but still needs some more development before they reach the higher ratings.

Download: Forget The Titanic We Sink Faster
For the fans of: Brand New, Small Brown Bike, Planes Mistaken For Stars, Boysetsfire
Listen: Myspace

Release date 20.10.2009
Self-Released

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