ATP! Album Review: Adventures - Adventures EP

Featuring three fifths of Deathwish family members Code Orange Kids (Reba, Joe and Jami) with the addition of friends Dom (guitars) and Kimi (keyboards), Adventures was born from within the Code Orange Kids practice space, and although their music is markedly milder than their hardcore heritage, it is bred from and exudes the same ferocious energy. Make no mistake, these are two very different projects; fans of one may not necessarily be into the other, but belting out an emotionally cathartic blend of indie-punk and lo-fi emo that would fit in comfortably between Lemuria and Tigers Jaw, Adventures never seem to run out of steam or fall short of passion.

With Reba trading in her background yelping for a front-and-centre vocal position, her sensitively shaky delivery is perfectly suited to the pensive atmosphere of the first two tracks. With it's distorted midwestern-emo guitar riffs quickly married with the lyrics "Time hangs heavy/ My mind lies low" sung with an endearingly off-key hopelessness, opener 'I Feel So Sure' holds a nail to the wall which Adventures hammer in throughout the rest of the EP. Exuding a very lax "oh hey guys, you just caught us jamming in the basement, you can sit in and listen if you like" kinda vibe, the arrangements are often patient and uncrowded - almost sparse, in paces - allowing the tracks to ride purely on the strength of the melodies and the drive of the delivery - two things that "Adventures" has in abundance. There is a lot to be said for pregnant pauses on this record, with the quiet/loud dynamic mirroring a constantly shifting emotional current. One thing that is notable, though, is despite the defined arrangements of the other instruments, the keyboards seem to be buried pretty deep in the mix throughout the whole record.

With Joe chiming in on vocals, 'Like Seed' is a tender exhibition of male/female vocal interplay; the two overlapping for the lines "I said things to you that I have never said/ I know I probably shouldn't have/ And I have never been more scared". Despite the delicate interplay here, the second half of the EP sees Reba taking a harsher approach - in places really giving her vocal chords hell with some some raw screams that bear comparisons to female-fronted hardcore bands like Punch or Vales (perhaps the Deathwish influence isn't entirely absent after all).

"Adventures" is an accessible, perfervid record that is bursting with creativity, making it an ideal introduction to an exciting band.

4.5/5

Emma Garland

"Adventures" is out now through No Sleep Records.