Tío Rico and The Forthcoming ‘Business and Pleasure’ EP.

Tío Rico – Manchester, England, United Kingdom.

Manchester based Punk label Horn & Hoof Records is steadily growing. MF has been lucky enough to tag along for the ride for much of this and hopefully time permitting will continue to do so.

Tío Rico counts label operator Scott Bradley within their number so naturally we couldn’t wait to sink our oh-so analytical teeth into this forthcoming EP, from a band citing some notable names from the last 30 years of Punk music.

Influences: ‘Rancid, Sublime, Nirvana, NOFX, Pennywise, The Aggrolites, The Suicide Machines, Pixies, The Shadow Cops’.

It’s all just…

The opening sporadically in time notes of ‘Hate Me’ immediately cross early 80’s Hardcore and 90’s Grunge before harsh and deliberately out-of-place vocals are added to the mix. ‘Hate Me’ is discordant and disjointed but addictive in its own way.

‘Article Seven’ takes this progressive disjointed guitar tone into a more politically charge track that is although basic, cannot be faulted for its honest message. Tío Rico tackles forced doctrine and the often contradictory state any success brings. Musically once again, I feel I must comment on the discordant gloom of the guitar tone, where the band in general seem to heading towards a more traditional Post-Hardcore leaning disarray-laden sound. Any feeling of uncertainty of I felt on the initial moments of this EP is beginning to slip away.

‘Maximizing Prophet’ teases faster Punk-Rock but goes only as far as that. Lyrically speaking the band’s bare honest distaste matches the witty title of the this mid-point track. Vocally, the slow and near-Spoken Word style is now more at home as the aforementioned doubt – for the most part – fades away.

‘Somewhere Between’ manages to cross Black Flag, Rancid and the Bouncing Souls in the first few seconds before the latter of those three mentioned becomes the main blueprint, albeit with a slightly dark tone in the bridges and refrains. By this stage on EP you are very much in the second chapter stylistically where the the band of the first half can still be heard, but more urgently.

If I am to be completely honest, the penultimate track is something of an enigma. ‘T-Rex Charlie’ is very much the “stupid punk song” of the release. Musically speaking it shows a faster band somewhere between 80’s Hardcore Punk again and the “pogo-punk” of the Bouncing Souls and actually follows suit quite well. That said, as entertaining as it is, as stylistically please as it is, it very much sticks out like a sore thumb within the focus of the EP.

‘Invincible’ closes in a dated-Rancid fashion, reminiscent of a time when they still had it (controversial I know). The title of track very much gives you the mindset of the release, as well as the band at this point in time. Tío Rico have crafted an EP as they want it, they have crafted an EP they know is disjointed and discordant in a way that makes it hard to immerse yourself in to begin with. The band know of its simplicity, they know all of this down to a T and that is what makes Business and Pleasure an EP you will play again and again.

It is what it is and you should deal with it because it’s out in July.

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