The Respirators

Never Ending Days EP

Written by: PP on 06/07/2011 05:48:17

The Respirators from Copenhagen are one of the newest entrants to the Danish punk rock scene, and they'll be turning some heads real soon once their debut EP "Never Ending Days" lands in stores in the coming months (already available digitally). Never before have we had a quartet in this country who so flawlessly and convincingly replicate the so-called orgcore sound, one which draws half its appeal from straight forward pop punk and the other from the Midwestern punk rock scene. This, my friends, is a solid representation of the much revered Fat Wreck Chords school of thought, a celebration of the melodic and vibrant parts of the punk scene where writing complex songs is shoved aside to make room for laid-back but memorable singalongs.

Because The Respirators are such a new band, their influences are clearly audible throughout the five tracks on the record. "Sleep Through This Life" opens the record in the best Banner Pilot style, using just a few fast paced chords and an unpolished melodic singing style to achieve a monster catchy song. "Homecoming" then presents their second singer, whose vocals are raspier and rougher, moving their sound to a slightly richer and fuller sound in the vein of Off With Their Heads. Once again, the parallel between their influences is undeniable, but does it really matter when the song is this catchy? I think not.

Although all five pieces on the record are exactly the way we like our melodic punk - with a little bit of texture and Midwestern flavor - "Old No. 7" wins the prize for the best song on the record. It sounds like it was directly lifted from The Lawrence Arms classic "Apathy And Exhaustion", with the vocal melody matching those sublime lines by Brendan/Chris combo to an extent that I had to go in and check that both the melody line and the lyrics weren't directly lifted off that seminal record. So yeah, it's not exactly original, but then again, if you're into the Fat Wreck roster or the bands mentioned in this review, chances are that being original isn't high on the priority list for you. Lets just put it this way: "Never Ending Days" EP can already compete on even footing with the higher profile bands from the other side of the pond.

Download: Old No. 7, Homecoming
For the fans of: Off With Their Heads, Banner Pilot, The Lawrence Arms
Listen: Bandcamp

Release date 09.10.2011
Peabrain Records

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