Album Review: Campaign - It Likes To Party

Is the term ‘gruff punk’ familiar to you? If yes, the answer to the following question could save you precious minutes of your life. If the answer is yes; are you a fan? If the answer to that question is yes; this EP is for you. Go and listen. You may have found your new favourite band. Thank me later. If you are not a fan, I don’t think this release is going to change your opinion. If the term ‘gruff punk’ is not familiar to you, it is basically melodic punk music with shout-along choruses, sang by men with beards and voices that sound like they drink whiskey and smoke 24 hours a day. Basically, it’s a great genre. Get into it.

The band does this genre very well, they don’t break any boundaries, and I don’t think they are going to cement a place at the seat of the ‘gruff punk’ throne currently being held by Hot Water Music. However, this band has the talent, and most importantly, the songs, to class themselves as the cream of the crop of current bands leading the ‘gruff punk’ revival, a position which has been held most recently by Small Brown Bike.

On to the actual EP, it basically starts with a bang and keeps going for a fantastic 20 minutes. EP opener ‘Rock Bottom Summer’ pulls the listener in with the scream of ‘I think I’ve hit rock bottom on a Monday night’ in a vocal style which is difficult not to compare to Chuck Ragan. The band does share vocal duties though, which is a nice touch. The EP carries on in a similar fashion, with ‘Blue Pills and Whiskey’ being a standout with a shout along chorus and added "whoa oh’s". ‘It Likes To Party’ ends as it started with another solid track, ‘Bored to Death’ and leaves the listener wanting more.

Basically, if you want some new music you can shout along to, look no further, Campaign is the answer.

4/5

'It Likes To Party' by Campaign is available now as a free download here.

Campaign on MySpace

Daniel Ferguson