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The Great Explainer

The Great Explainer

Written by: PP on 02/01/2015 22:11:00

On debut EP "The Way Things Swell", Trenton, New Jersey based The Great Explainer were introduced to us through a very Hot Water Music sounding version of gravelly, depth-laden punk rock. For their self-titled debut full-length record, we follow largely in the same track, except the band now draw more than just a few parallels to "End Measured Mile" by Make Do And Mend in the process.

From the throbbing bass lines to the raw but melodic guitars and especially the snarly vocals, The Great Explainer resonate exactly on the same wavelengths as MDAM did on their masterpiece a few years ago. Of course by extension it means the Hot Water Music influence runs heavy in the mix as well, meaning there are layers upon layers of depth found within their expression, even if the vocal melodies are rarely as melodic nor as charismatic in comparison. Through songs like "Defeated" and "Benevolence", the band roars through a fairly catchy punk rock landscape all about playing with your hearts on your sleeve, passionately and drenched in pure honesty. The sing alongs belong to the basement style intimacy category, but that's what raw punk rock FEST style is all about anyway: roaring and screaming along to fast based melodies where no production tricks have been used to cover up glitches or correct pitch irregularities.

"Phrases & Logos" is another highlight where playful guitar melodies add a dimension of technicality to their expression to preserve variety across the record. But at just 23 minutes across 10 songs, the record never overstays its welcome even as the songs follow a similar pattern throughout the disc. It's nothing revolutionary, but a solid slab of gravelly punk rock that should be checked out by all fans of the bands mentioned in this review.

Download: Defeated, Benevolence, Phrases & Logos, Black Books
For the fans of: Make Do And Mend, Hot Water Music, Leatherface
Listen: Facebook

Release date 27.10.2014
Panic State Records