Album Review: Running Gun Sound - 'Beasts Of England'

22 June 2012 | 11:07 am | Staff Writer
Originally Appeared In

Raw and gritty punk fun.

I make a point to review any independent 7" vinyl release that crosses my path mainly to support DIY artists who are still pushing for the truth. Those who, in a world of music so compressed and enjoyed through the same shitty laptop speakers from which is was more than likely created, strive to deliver their sounds in a format that will enhance the listening pleasure of the person receiving it. Just as much praise goes to those who still choose to manually flip their music after a few songs as opposed to lazily being controlled by their iPod's shuffle function. So for the fellow vinyl junkies like myself, group's who opt for a vinyl release score extra attention before a needle has even been dropped.

It is for the above reason that Brisbane's Running Gun Sound are being reviewed on this site as their latest release, a 7" single titled 'Beasts Of England' which contains three new tracks, is a vinyl only, limited release (with different coloured covers as a nod to the collectors).

The A Side single Beasts Of England presents the band as a bunch of gritty lo-fi punk loving enthusiasts who bust through the main song with aggression, questionable but passionate backing vocals, and a unique sense of melody. The sound is extremely rough, but that is exactly how it should be. For and Australian group they sound very British, possibly done on purpose as a joke due to the heavy Beatles influence mixed with surf punk guitars and dance punk beats.

The B-Side features Head On Straight a song with a positive vibe, reminiscent of 50’s rock, Happy Days Diner music, which is backed by a bright organ and almost resembles the Vampire Weekend sound but with a harder edge. The final track on the release is titled Payback, which is lead in with drums, overdriven, treble heavy guitar stabs all of which direct to a heavy groove.

Running Gun Sound are another group trapped in the wrong era of music but perform it very well. The minute these guys try to become too serious or slick, their appeal will be lost, so for now they are on to a good thing.