A band bursting with the desire for change and the rage of a generation, Casual Drag knocks it out of the park with their debut EP, Revolution Will Eat Itself. The five track EP comes from the Scottish punk-trio who experiment with poppy choruses, roaring electric guitars, and more. Many notable stations have already raved about the group included BBC Introducing and Fresh on the Net/BBC6. Their tongue and cheek lyrics and sharp sound shines across each track.
The opening track “Something Good” starts with a guitar riff and allows thirty seconds of jamming between the bandmates. This initial instrumental perfectly sets the tone for the remainder of the project. It’s rough sounding but done in an intentional, clean way; and a way many don’t nail right out of the gate. The Glasgow band celebrated the release of this EP across Scotland, and I can only imagine the energy of the crowd was electric for a chorus as infectious as this one.
Lead singer Richard Clarke added, “On Something Good we wanted to have these ironic and almost dumb singalong poppy choruses as part of a punk song – on every song we want to make sure we get the right mix of an unnerving dissonant sound with catchy riffs, it’s this contrast that sums up our sound.”
It then transitions into “Bleach Head” which is a song that is more conversational in melody and has a darker switch compared to the opening song. This track perfectly captures the anger and isolation the band was feeling during 2020. From the shouting to the reverb – this track is great full volume in your car.
While “Bleach Head” captures the energy in the production, lyrically the third track, “I Like It” is the core of the EP. The name of the project was born from the lyric, “Revolution will eat itself / and you and I will drink to good health / oh well, welcome to hell.” Clarke’s vocals are front and center on this track and with his emotion highlighted. Being able to tell such true to life stories in a raw and realist way is inspiring and admirable, and they execute it in a way that feels effortless.
The final track on the EP is “Out of Sight.” It has a really cool guitar lick on it and the verse melody is playful and fun to sing along to. While the tracks overall cover harder to talk about topics, Casual Drag has a way of having fun about it, throwing in jokes along the way to soften the hard truth that is reality. It is commendable songwriting and talented playing throughout.
This EP is definitely worth the listen, especially if you still have some rage and frustration, you just want to scream and shout of your system. It’s the perfect project for either jamming out or reflecting on the crafty songwriting. So go check out Casual Drag now!
Reviewed by Katie Power
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