Shuvit

We Lost The War

Written by: PP on 11/10/2018 21:40:37

Swedish punk rockers Shuvit released their sophomore album "We Lost The War" earlier this year. I happened to catch them live as a part of the Adhesive world tour, and let's just say their support set stole the show. It was explosive, high-energy, and outrageous in all the right ways where the band just stood out in the best possible way. Naturally, I was hoping their recorded material would do the same, but alas, it's a disappointingly derivative release.

Stylistically, Shuvit channels their favorite bands and carry their influence a little too visible on their sleeves throughout the record. "Seasons Change", for instance, sounds like old Blink 182 from "Cheshire Cat" and "Dude Ranch" years. It's raw, upbeat and catchy, but play it to a friend and they'll immediately ask if it's an unreleased Blink 182 demo. "Democrazy" is another track where you'll raise your eyebrows and question whether they stole it off a NOFX record, especially during its ska/reggae part. "No Love No More (Anthem pt. II)" is No Use For A Name worship through and through. Not to say these are bad tracks, but they're just way too similar melody-wise to avoid the direct connection.

Sandwiched in between are more anonymous punk tracks where the pedal is floored, and the band delve into a hardcore-rooted, raw energy mode, sometimes even singing in Swedish like on "Konstapel Kaos". Sure, the tempo is high and the guitars textbook punk rock, but coupled with a bad, cheap-sounding production, the end result just isn't very flattering. If anything, Shuvit feels like one of those bands that would be a fan-fucking-tastic cover band because of the way they live and breath their inspiration, but on their own, the record, unfortunately, leaves much to be desired. With a better production, it would leave behind a better impression, but as it stands now, "We Lost The War" sounds like a derivative, copy-cat record with little of its own soul, which is extremely difficult to believe given how great these guys are live.

6

Download: Seasons Change, I Won't, No Love No More (Anthem pt. II)
For the fans of: (old) Blink 182, (old) NOFX, No Use For A Name
Listen: Facebook

Release date 01.02.2018
Self-Released

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