2 out of 5

Label: Decibel Flexi Series

Producer: Torche?

I guess Torche sorta made a splash in the underground for their throwback rock sound mixed with modern hardcore speed.  The reverbed vocals and forward momentum remind me of Party of Helicopters with different rock breeding.  Similar to PoH, though, I feel like you need more than a couple tracks to really get the vibe for the band.  They don’t sound like a singles band to me, the riffs a bit too generic and the recording style not sharp enough to catch you with a hook.  Pow Wow, our lead track, suffers more from this, as it lacks speed or definition.  ’80’s Prom is tons better, giving us some lyrics to grab on to (Pow doesn’t even really have a notable chorus) and better displays the groups abilities, upping the pace with quick drum fills, energetic vocals and good guitar / bass interplay, even though its like half the length of the first track.  There’s nothing wrong with the material here, but 7″ singles are a tough sell if you don’t know the band (which I don’t), and if I didn’t know any better (which I don’t), I’d consider these tracks B-sides.