Creating a genuinely memorable EP can be a tough job. Often used as a way of gaining attention during a band’s early days or as a stopgap between full length releases for more established acts, it’s a format that can be easy for fans to dismiss. Thankfully I, The Lion’s second EP ‘Run’ is more than deserving of your attention as it finds the Cheltenham 3 piece on exciting and imaginative form.
Describing themselves as post-punk, ‘Hold Strong’ initially leans towards the gruff yet melodic style that the likes of Small Brown Bike and Hot Water Music made their own. It continues to ebb and flow between melody and power as I, The Lion add a brief yet heavy breakdown, an anthemic bridge and a healthy dose of double bass pedal drumming. Throwing so many different styles into one song shouldn’t work, but it does, and brilliantly. Far from sounding unfocused and messy, it sounds natural and progressive.
After such a hectic opening, you would be forgiven for expecting I, The Lion to take a breather, but as ‘Icarus’ immediately delivers an off-kilter guitar riff that spirals across the track it becomes clear that that won’t be the case. Again they combine multiple time signature changes and imaginative riffs with an ear for melodic hooks that further showcases their creativity.
It’s not until ‘Man Made Of Mice’ that I, The Lion adopt a more focussed and straightforward approach as the emphasis on the chorus helps drive the song forward. It may not immediately grab your attention in the way that the others do but it’s an equally strong example of songwriting. ‘Bonny Island’ suggests that it will follow a similar path as after teasing some huge riffs it settles into a heavy rock groove, allowing the lyrics to take centre stage. Although it isn’t long before I, The Lion switch things up again, with another series of imaginative twists on the post-punk template.
‘Run’ may be only four songs long, but I, The Lion pack every second of every song with some of the strongest, most creative, and varied songwriting and musicianship to emerge from the UK scene. It’s original and captivating in a way that few other bands manage and it leaves things perfectly poised for an eagerly anticipated début album that hopefully won’t be too far away.
CHRIS HILSON