Johnny West Is Missing – The ‘Carp Dime’ EP.
Johnny West Is Missing – Manchester, England, United Kingdom.
Johnny West is missing on a few, but is still here overall on the strong release of Carp Dime.
This 4 track EP slops out in drunk-Punk fashion with thick gritty guitar and moaning Northern English laced vocals. What these boys lack in class, they make up for in song writing and sly timing changes.
What fell short for me personally was the smoothness in vocal inflection. It often felt like the parts where the vocalist was trying to be melodic and hold a note he felt short and gritty. Stick to what you’re good at, and if you can stay on key for a backing harmony, layer a few tracks of vocals over the top to smooth it out. But that’s just me.
The title of the first track ‘Just Because The Fucker’s Got A Library Card, Doesn’t Make Him Yoda’, made my inner nerd smile in glee. It rips into life with slashing finger-tapping and the raunchy vocals proclaiming a life of alcohol and THC despair. I really dug the tempo change into the bridge section, but what could have been some incredible back and forth harmonies are sullied by being offkey. The bass and drum work is very reminiscent of Goldfinger, and keeps the groove well.
‘Trust Me, I’m A Geologist’ lends a lot more to the Hardcore for sure. The sound clip segues well into the thrashing Punk number. Once again, offkey harmonies scratch across the chalkboard of my senses. As he starts to scream the band slides into being bearable. As he screams ‘Fuck You, Motherfucker!’… I am glad the song is over.
Spirits are lifted slightly by the next slow diddy, ‘You’re not a Fuckin’ Ghostbuster’. I am a lot more confident in the bands talents on this song. I really dug the line ‘Six bullets with your name on them’. You can definitely relate to the disdain for that ‘fuckin’ shit eating cunt’, as he so aptly put.
Phenomenal guitar work blazes existence into the last track, ‘Game Over In Hudsonia’. The vocals finally sound at home and on key and they should’ve had this as the opener. The groovy slick change at the end, to quick soundbite, to screaming ‘THEY’RE ALL FUCKING DEAD’ works as such a good sequence, followed by going right back into the main groove. Johnny West Is Missing have found their home, why did it take so long?
My best advice to this band is song choices. I feel the songs they excelled at, were great, but the other that were sloppy and fell short distracted from the rest of the EP. Take time to write before you release something. Perhaps learn how to scrap songs or move on from them, and keep the cream of the crop to put out on record.
Johnny West Is Missing are a band going in the right direction and certainly through the Motions. All in all though I really did enjoy some of the EP, and encourage the listeners to give it their own take!
Find the band and their label Horn & Hoof Records below:
- Social Media/Updates: Facebook.
- The band’s debut EP can be found via Soundcloud for streaming and via Horn & Hoof Records below.
- Horn & Hoof Records: Facebook, Twitter, bandcamp, SoundCloud, Official Website.
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