Album Review: Misser - Problems. Problems. Problems. EP

'Raw' and 'Unmixed' are the first words that come to mind toward describing the three songs made available by Misser (featuring members of Transit and This Time Next Year) after most of the recorded files from 2010 were lost due to technical issues. Thankfully, the next word that comes to mind immediately after is 'scintillating' or any other positive qualitative that isn't quite that camp. Every one of the three tracks is close to perfect and importantly carry enough originality and distinctive textures from their respective bands to bring out something new.

'Just Say It' is a strong cocktail of anger, midwestern punk and great melodic touches. The song is benefited with a warm texture, something probably enduced by the unproduced quality of the recordings. Misser reach a fine equilibrium between the riffs (lead by punctuating vocals) and the melodic lead guitar's superb work from licks to the solo. 'She Didn't Turn Out To Be That Cool' is inherently catchy. In fact, every single section of the song singled out could prove the basis of any successful pop-punk classic, but put together, they really produce something special. From the opening salvo of melody to the vocals' introducing harmonies, there is nothing not to love in this part of town.

Finally, 'Hating' provides the essential low-key output. The song's potency as a moving track lies in the combination of the two vocalists' voices as they build up around the fluctuating levels of the instrumentation. If this song doesn't win your heart and soul over, surely nothing will. If these few tracks are any illustration of what this band are capable of, then there must be great times ahead for this project and for our collective enjoyment.

5/5

'Problems. Problems. Problems.' is out now.

James Berclaz-Lewis