Whether it’s Basement playing their last show this November, or The Wonder Years on yet another touring circuit around the country, punk bands are known for their outrageously loyal fan bases and high energy shows. Now it’s time for punk-rock newbies Run from Robots to transfer their live energy on to record.
Be warned guys, there’s a lot of pop-punk clichés here. Maybe they decided it’d be funny to see how many times they could refer to relationships, the summer, and the good old days, in one song. Even the music video for ‘This Bus is Damned’ sees some incredibly trendy-looking kids cycling around, breaking into junk yards, and proving how much they love each other by drinking beer and smashing up car windows together. Totally punk rock.
Thankfully, clichés aside, the music is thoroughly good. ‘This Bus is Damned’ has all the pounding drums and high octane guitars you could wish for and is, no doubt, the best song on the EP. ‘You Might Rumble But We’re Louder Than Thunder’ suggests an air of confidence even in its title. It’s probable the “so stand up and shape up” chorus will be emphatically sung along to at a number of small venue shows as fans of punk sub-genres unite for Britain’s latest offering.
‘Sleepless Days and Sleepless Nights’’ driving bass line and gravelly vocals bring the punk element of the band to the forefront and steer the group away from a slippery descent into emo.
Final track ‘Assume This Song’s For You’ throws another standard ingredient into the punk formula, group vocals a-plenty scattered throughout. When the record is taken on the live circuit once again, eager show goers will be thrown across gig barriers to the song, as others bounce around at the back of venues.
Combining the energy of Four Year Strong with the energy of A Loss For Words, and the savvy radio-friendly pop of You Me At Six, Run from Robots’ new take on the punk genre is bound to prove a hit for the lads from the south west.
KATHRYN BLACK