The snarling vocals and lo-fi production of ‘Ghost Town’ signify straight away that Reckless Intentions have no interest in sounding polished or perfect. “Oh no,” is lackadaisically sung as grungy guitars pass by with a cool and casual effort fitting for a bunch of punk rockers.
In contrast, ‘Stitches’ sounds incredibly pop punk. Squeaky, high-pitched singing and stereotypical lyrics (“Would you miss me? Would you miss me?”) make for an unnoticeable track. It’s not special enough to stand out, but it’s too plain to even bother with. That said, somebody is bound to enjoy singing along to the messy middle eight.
‘L I G H T S’ opens with what seems is a distorted introduction. It turns out to be the entirety of the song, entirely void of lyrics. Frustratingly, it sounds like the roots of what could be an interesting track; instead, ‘Outcast’s bass overtakes proceedings. Back to the same charm as the EP opener, lyrics like “I don’t care what you’re going to say / My hair’s a mess but I like it that way” – although sang with an apathy that matches their mood – have the simple relatability of some of the best-loved songwriters. It wouldn’t have sounded out of place on early noughties Scuzz, and that nudge of nostalgia is no bad thing.
Switching back to pop punk again, ‘Home’ is a ballad for a mass audience: imagine phones clutched in hands, waving through the air with their lights on. With a growing ending that plenty pop rock bands would be happy with, it’s more formulaic than fun and within a minute of it ending you might have forgotten what it sounds like.
It’s as though Reckless Intentions aren’t sure what kind of band they want to be. On the one hand, their rebellious side seems effortlessly cool; on the other, they’re familiar-sounding, preened pop punkers. Depending on which direction they choose to head in, we’ll see what they can do.
KATHRYN BLACK