Release Date: February 26th
Label: Favour The Brave Records
For fans Of: Pierce The Veil, AS IT IS, Bring Me The Horizon
A shot of alt-rock goodness and a silly but lovable band name? Check. Dohny Jep return with their new EP Smile, It Might Never Happen, building up on their previous 2020 release of L.U.S.T. This time the Kent four-piece expand on themes like mental health, friendship, and cutting off toxic people from your life. The record gives us a dose of somber, angsty vocals wrapped up in a nice-sounding alt-rock package, and is a welcome addition for this up-and-coming band.
Indeed, Smile, It Might Never Happen, wastes no time in starting out with driving riffs in its opening track ‘Control’. Yet the song slowly loses its punch along the way with a breakdown that’s not particularly interesting, as well as a general feeling of wanting something more exciting. ‘Looking In’ also feels quite average and doesn’t do much to make itself stand out in either the vocals or instrumental department. On the other hand, ‘Smile’ is a much more powerful anthem about mental health with inspirational lyrics of “tonight is the time to change your life” juxtaposed with more melancholy statements like “smile, it might never happen”. The final track ,‘Get Fucked’, stands out from the crowd with a powerful, cathartic chorus interlaced with superb guitar work, and a breakdown that delivers where ‘Control’ could not.
Overall, Smile, It Might Never Happen is a mixed bag. ‘Get Fucked’ and ‘Smile’ give us something more promising with more powerful choruses, stronger lyricism, as well as some great breakdowns, but despite their effectiveness, one can’t help feeling that the rest of the EP lets the side down. Dohny Jep has clearly shown potential here, and while the record is an enjoyable one, it doesn’t come across as being as interesting or noteworthy as it could’ve been.
Recommended tracks: ‘Smile’, ‘Get Fucked’
Rating: 5/10