EP Review :: Sheer Mag - II

Sheer Mag

II

April 18 2015 (Wilsuns RC/ Katorga Works)

8/10

Words: Ed Francis

Philadelphia-based punk outfit Sheer Mag are an interesting and unique package, melding a down-and-dirty classic rock framework with the ethic of DIY production and a sly poppy approach to songcraft. They've just released a new EP, 'II' - their second through Brooklyn label Katorga Works - and a strong argument could be made for it as the most unashamedly fun listen of 2015 so far.

Opening track 'Fan The Flames' sets the tone for the whole piece, with fret bothering licks snapped tightly on to a stomping beat, whilst the lo-fi bassline bruises your ears and frontwoman Christina Halliday hollers "you've got to stand up and break the chains" in a delivery that's akin to Cyndi Lauper taking on Iggy Pop. The recently-released video perfectly encapsulates the feel, featuring as many ecstatic smiles from the band and their fans as shots of circle pit action.

'Travelin' On' finds the band hitting more of an orthodox punk tempo, the chug-chug of the rhythm section matching the cross-country voyage for solace and justice outlined in the lyrics. Yet the lacing of delicate clean riffs throughout is exactly the kind of thing that contemporaries like Cerebral Ballzy would avoid at all costs, serving again as a reminder that Sheer Mag are a band seeking to avoid the common tropes of the different genres that they meld together.

'Whose Side Are You On' is perhaps the clearest expression of the band's political thematic slants. "So hold it close, keep it safe/I know that you'll be with us when we make them pay", snarls Halliday in a couplet that typifies the 'fuck the overclass' sentiment of the whole EP. As on all of the tracks on 'II', however, these words are set to an instrumental that thrums more with studiously-channelled urgency than raw aggression. Though lyrically Sheer Mag might gesture towards future social unrest (possibly of the violent kind), overall the feel they hit upon is more one of youthful impatience than raw aggression.

Closer 'Button Up' exemplifies this intriguing dichotomy of lyrical anger and musical nuance perhaps even better, opening with Halliday asking "when you see something that makes you sick/do you button up or do you bleed?" over guitar lines that initially include reverberating surf-rock style chords before unfolding into into a catchy piano-driven romp over the finish line. It's simultaneously cathartic and likely to stick in your head for days- a balance of intelligent songwriting and pounding delivery that gestures most strongly towards Raw Power.

Sheer Mag are a band who look set to have a huge future, producing music that can satisfy the cravings of fans of a range of genres simultaneously. If you're not on board with their movement yet, 'II' is the perfect place to clamber on.