We’ve been hearing, more and more often, tales of happy couples that met online, however, a group of guys meeting the same way and forming a successful band remains a rare occurrence, at least in my experience. That was, apparently, how it happened for ‘The Starling Radicals’ though. The South Wales 3 piece officially formed in September 2012, spent time in the studio this April and have been playing gigs in the meantime. The product of those first studio sessions was their self-titled debut EP, an energetic and compilation of three tracks.
The first, ‘Mona Lisa Vampire’ is rammed to the rafters with catchy vocal hooks and sounds like Black Sabbath might if they were fronted by the illegitimate (not to mention immaculate) offspring of Axel Rose and Myles Kennedy. The chunky, screeching opening riff initially leaps forward from an atmospheric soundscape yet fades, almost to a mere undertone, when aggressive but thoroughly controlled vocals take over.
While the music they play is predominantly hard-rock, ‘The Starling Radicals’ have a punk essence about them and this is epitomised in ‘Unseen Empire’. Their lyrics are unflinchingly political and provocative and certainly demand to be listened to; they claim that “faith does not prove anything” and “we should open our eyes, but there’s some things we don’t want to find”. Make of that what you will.
The closing track ‘Bennett the Wheel’ is as close to pop-rock, on some levels, as ‘The Starling Radicals’ will come, with an acoustic intro and the catchiest sing along chorus on the EP forming the centrepieces of the song. Take a moment to really listen to the words you are singing however, and you’ll realise that the band’s punk roots remain. This song is about defiance and rebellion; being your own man with your own desires in spite of what others may say, because nothing really matters unless it matters to you.
And that’s essentially this band’s mantra. Do what makes you happy but do it with a critical mind. This EP, if listened to with a critical ear, will make you happy but it will also wear you out! It may only be three songs long but it’s 15 minutes of neck wrenching, ear pounding, face melting, brain scrambling mayhem. Proceed with caution!
The Starling Radicals can be found at:
- www.facebook.com/thestarlingradicals
- www.youtube.com/thestarlingradicals
- www.soundcloud.com/thestarlingradicals
- www.reverbnation.com/thestarlingradicals
The first, ‘Mona Lisa Vampire’ is rammed to the rafters with catchy vocal hooks and sounds like Black Sabbath might if they were fronted by the illegitimate (not to mention immaculate) offspring of Axel Rose and Myles Kennedy. The chunky, screeching opening riff initially leaps forward from an atmospheric soundscape yet fades, almost to a mere undertone, when aggressive but thoroughly controlled vocals take over.
While the music they play is predominantly hard-rock, ‘The Starling Radicals’ have a punk essence about them and this is epitomised in ‘Unseen Empire’. Their lyrics are unflinchingly political and provocative and certainly demand to be listened to; they claim that “faith does not prove anything” and “we should open our eyes, but there’s some things we don’t want to find”. Make of that what you will.
The closing track ‘Bennett the Wheel’ is as close to pop-rock, on some levels, as ‘The Starling Radicals’ will come, with an acoustic intro and the catchiest sing along chorus on the EP forming the centrepieces of the song. Take a moment to really listen to the words you are singing however, and you’ll realise that the band’s punk roots remain. This song is about defiance and rebellion; being your own man with your own desires in spite of what others may say, because nothing really matters unless it matters to you.
And that’s essentially this band’s mantra. Do what makes you happy but do it with a critical mind. This EP, if listened to with a critical ear, will make you happy but it will also wear you out! It may only be three songs long but it’s 15 minutes of neck wrenching, ear pounding, face melting, brain scrambling mayhem. Proceed with caution!
The Starling Radicals can be found at:
- www.facebook.com/thestarlingradicals
- www.youtube.com/thestarlingradicals
- www.soundcloud.com/thestarlingradicals
- www.reverbnation.com/thestarlingradicals