Album Review: Penguins Kill Polar Bears - Vessels & Veins EP

Scotland seems to be the new place for music, with the rise of Biffy Clyro in magazines such as 'Kerrang!' and even with their, wide debated, X-Factor cover, a lot more Scottish bands are falling into the spotlight and following in the footsteps of the band. Penguins Kill Polar Bears is an apt name for the band which compliments the glacial tones heard in their guitars and Ben Proudlock's nasally vocals.

'Lungs' begins with a post-rock meets shoegaze riff, reminiscent of Joy Division before blasting into an intense culmination of atmospheric alongside a piercing shrill guitar. The tremelo guitar on 'Wish with Worry' on top of the crashing drums are soon silenced by chords where Proudlock's voice sings "Do you remember our first dance in the snow, I held your hand because it was cold." the song features the same pattern of dynamic variation between the verses and the chorus'.

'Between the Tide' follows the exact same formula as the other songs and admittedly, after a while, it's easily predictable and sounds mostly the same as the other songs on the EP. 'Something Old' features lead singer, Proudlock's timid vocals mumbling "this room has never felt so cold" over an accompanied ambient guitar. The song escalates into a massive build up of pounding drums and shreiking guitars which wouldn't go out of place on an Explosions on the Sky.

Despite presenting a positive sound which has bounced off the Scottish scene from bands such as The Twilight Sad and The Xcerts as well as a wide range of influences, Penguins Kill Polar Bears need more variation in their sound, the EP is a solid EP with some stand out tracks but they try to replicate these songs too often.

3/5

''Vessels & Veins' by Penguins Kill Polar Bears is released on February 21st through Mountain Halo Records (UK) and on March 22nd through Dromedary Records (US).

Penguins Kill Polar Bears on MySpace and Facebook.

George Gadd