Eight Days – There Must Be… ‘More To Life’.
Eight Days – London, England, United Kingdom.
For our previous work on the band – Click Here.
I’m overjoyed that I have finally found some time to sit down with this release. Musically Fresh was lucky enough to hear the demos prior to release and also lucky enough to catch the band on their recent tour in support of this EP but that’s not important.
What is important is that Eight Days are subjectively in my opinion one of the London Punk and Hardcore scenes best but again, more importantly, this is also objectively the case.
Why? Well, sonically the three-piece cascade through Punk, Hardcore and Post-Hardcore with a healthy admiration for Metal and riff-laden compositions, choosing a different path on each run. However, there’s more to it, there’s…
\\More To Life//
Quite ironically considering my uttering above, my first listen was met with uncertainty. ‘They’ve slowed down‘ was my first reaction and I felt a pang of worry. Eight Days have a penchant for the slower in tempo but this was unexpected. However on my second listen, where my opinion on a piece begins to deepen, I was almost completely immersed.
In the past I’ve compared the band to the likes of Comeback Kid and Modern Life Is War and have since in casual conversation mentioned the likes of Alexisonfire and such others.
Other comparisons can be made of course but I stand by the above as even these are bands that have slowed down in order to accommodate outstanding and relatable song writing. See where I’m going with this?
‘Was It All Worth It’ may incline itself to a more metallic and tempo-restrained Eight Days but it is by no means unrestrained in its sheer rage, reflection, realisation and riffs. It actually leads perfectly to a re-hash of a track that in my opinion, should be the track the band should use as their showcase, the updated – ‘Unclear’.
‘Unclear’ gives the EP its title line and sounds tenfold in size in comparison to its earlier incarnation, showing the sound of Eight Days wholly in it’s tenaciously abrasive Melodic Hardcore.
‘Counterweight’ channels NYC-styled Hardcore with melodic overtones lightly placed overhead but crucial in their standing. Vocally and lyrically track three is just as intense as it’s musical backing and is actually very chilling and melancholic in it’s relatable catharsis.
For a three-piece, one unequivocal strength of Eight Days is their sonic presence. In live performance it never fails to move a crowd no matter the size and even on recording you’re accosted repeatedly in the way only from-the-heart Punk can repeatedly drum into you that something is very wrong.
The closing track, ‘Walls’, may get you going with it’s bass-intro but again Ben Brazier is pulling on your heart strings, forcing you to listen with no remorse as he pulls you towards the bastion this three-piece represent.
‘Constant disappointment in myself and everyone‘ – is a feeling many know all to well and again proves why people turn to music in this vein, because sometimes its the only real home and stable thing to be had.
Find all things Eight Days below, I’m off to put this on repeat…
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