Punk album reviews
In this issue
Eagulls, Eagulls
This Leeds five-piece cops a lot of style from their U.K. post-punk grandfathers and grandmothers, having learned how to pound out tunes that are simultaneously lush and brash. Tense, buoyant rhythms keep a steady pace prime for rowdy pogoing, especially when the power-drill guitars kick into overdrive. Many of the choruses include the song’s title being yelped over and over in an angst-ridden, manic voice (see “Amber Veins,” “Tough Luck” and “Possessed”). All these elements combine to make this debut a modest success—but it’s hard to ignore that the arrangements feel like templates, which the band stubbornly adheres to song after song. Considering Eagulls have shared bills with Ice Age and Fucked Up, these fly guys are probably a lot more liberated onstage than on record. —Jeanne Fury