The Muffin Heads – Don’t Give The People What They Want
Label – Independent
Release Date – January 19th 2018
With 4 songs and clocking in at just over ten and a half minutes, Essex 3 piece The Muffin Head’s EP, Don’t Give the people what they want certainly packs a punch. This is a high energy offering of catchy, grunge flecked punk from a band who are starting to get people to sit up and take notice.
The EP opens with Don’t Give the people what they want, kicking things off with feedback and a drum roll before launching into a song railing against the sycophantic obedience that is so often a factor of modern life. ‘Can you tell me why you’re on your knees, does it make you happy living just to please?’ The song has a real confrontational punk flavour to it, and at 1:54 is a rapid fire introductory number which sets the tone well for the following tracks.
Second song Fuck and Fight is another defiant and bolshy number taking aim at societal expectations and the need to categorise. ‘Who are you to label me, I call myself what I like.’ The central riff sits well against the chunky bassline and the stop start drums blend perfectly into the central lyric of ‘Fuck and Fight’ which is repeated with expressive urgency. The breakdowns are sparing and tight, with no excess frills and the song is propelled forward with an energetic delivery, helped along by some hoarsely screamed vocals.
The Penultimate track is Here is my Notice which is centered around an excellent riff, my favourite of the record. The song is a shouty attack on working for terrible bosses, neatly capturing the rage and joy that can come from jacking in a much hated job. The overall sound has a the tinge of Vice Squad to it, especially in the faster parts of the vocal enunciation. The drums are great in this song too, throwing in some speedy fills that don’t miss a beat.
Bang says the Gun song rounds thing off. This is a slightly heavier track which once again draws on the technique of a repeated titular phrase functioning as the central refrain. It is pulled off with aplomb and the surrounding instrumentation has a slightly more metal feel to it whilst clearly remaining a punk number. The accompanying video is full of flashing imagery of the band, superimposed with images of frontwoman Bex. This is a suitably frenetic accompaniment for the track which ends things on a high.
This EP is a snarling fast paced slab of punk with some great riffs, solid drums and angry lyricism. The urgency of the vocals are undershot with a real no nonsense musical approach, the drums and guitar weaving together well to create a strong raw sound. These guys know their way around a great hook. The whole anti-everything stance of Punk can seem gratuitous and cliched in the wrong hands, however when it’s approached with real verve and crucially, well constructed songs, it retains a vitality and strength of impact. A great EP from the Muffin Heads then, I’ll be sure to keep an eye on what comes next.
Recommended track – Here is my Notice
Rating 8.5/10
Website: www.themuffinheads.co.uk
Facebook: @muffinheadmusic
Twitter: @muffinheadmusic