Energy are a punk band from Boston, Massachusetts. The band have gained a legion of loyal fans across the world including the UK and following their hugely successful run alongside Creeper earlier this year, are set to come back later this month for a headline tour in their own right. But before that, we have the small matter of a brand new EP in the shape of Under The Mask (July 21).
Opening track The Witching Hour is a fan favourite, it’s dark and the lyrics are relatable with good guitar work and a strong drum/bass combo. The chant at around 2:25 is haunting. Title track Under The Mask is strongly produced with a bit of an AFI feel, it wouldn’t sound out of place as a theme song for a thriller.
There’s 35 seconds of thunder and a rainstorm in the shape of The Shape Retreats before lead single A Prayer For Rain kicks in. It’s catchy, more upbeat and has a poppy feel while still keeping the overall punk vibe. This was definitely a good choice as a lead single as it shows two different sides to Energy. “A prayer for rain, a prayer to wash away the pain” is very catchy. I Killed Your Boyfriend sounds like quite an evil thing, but in reality the track is more light-hearted with lyrics like “I killed your boyfriend, he just wasn’t cool. I killed your boyfriend, you were dating such a fool” although it gets more gruesome when talk turns to dismemberment and jealousy. It’s catchy, with some ‘woahs’ scattered throughout. It is repetitive with every other line being “I killed your boyfriend” but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The opening acoustic of closing track Leave Me Alone gives way to a mellower punk track, rounding the EP off well.
Overall, the EP is a very strong one and shows why the band have created such a loyal fan base across the globe. The instrumentation is intricate, lyrics are dark and the vocals are strong and change ever so slightly to suit the individual tracks. If you need me, I’ll be sat in a dark room listening to this on repeat.
9.9/10 (I would give it a 10 but I don’t actually do 10s because I know that, like with any release, this can be topped)