EP Review :: YEEVS - Bellow Of A Cheer

EP

YEEVS

Bellow Of A Cheer 

July 10 2017 (self-released)

9/10

Words: Richard Cobb

Sydney’s lo-fi punk trio YEEVS return with the follow-up to their 2015 debut EP ‘How To Harken Back’. This time round the band have added some important layers to their sound and in doing so have managed to eclipse the impressive first outing with somewhat unanticipated ease.

‘All Delayed’ welcomes you in carefully to the record with the aid of several differing guitar lines ringing out and singer Bradley Cork’s gentle storytelling approach to his Billy Corgan-esque vocals. A brief acoustic cameo at the minute mark is replaced with a Pixies-like guitar line and equally impressive bass and drums accompaniment from Sean Lees and Tom Bamford to see the song over the finish line.

Kicking it up a couple of notches, there’s high intensity and assured sound to ‘Clatter & Green’ from the off on what is a well-rounded, all-out rock song. Former single ‘Shoot The Daytime’ sits proudly in the middle of the EP and acts as the foundations for the rest of the record with the band’s signature folky electric guitar lines at the root of the song.

The electric is put to one side and acoustic guitar and a marching drum beat take the spotlight on ‘Could It All Be Done In A Week?’ A relatively low-key song to begin with, it grows in confidence and purpose by the latter stages as Cork writhes out the track title sporadically throughout. Not the best track on here, but certainly justifying it’s place in the line-up and early signs point to the fact that it could be an uncaged animal live.

Calling time with the last chapter in the form of ‘Luck ETC’, it starts life almost as a country song, focusing heavily on slide guitar and repetitive bass drum, before throwing out a chilling and anthemic big band end to proceedings prior to rounding off the story as it begun.

The EP’s success lies in the fact that it manages to set up camp in the thin line that lies somewhere between anguish and joy, capturing the best of both worlds whilst the band continue their ascent.