Title: A Lifetime Apart
Format Reviewed: MP3
Format Released: 30th November 2015
Reviewed By: Kate Campbell
I went into my first listen ever of Harker not knowing what to expect, having never listened to them. I had heard various things: now to see if they were true.
Track one, 23, is a classic example of upbeat pop-punk, almost a throwback to the early 00s, when first wave pop-punk was at its biggest and strongest. This banger of a track grabs you right away. It was very reminiscent of Red City Radio (tour buddies) and also of Rebuilder, and while I am a fan of the Boston five-piece, I feel that Harker are more accessible on this fun, posi little number. While the songs on this EP are quite formulaic, they use the classic tools of pop-punk admirably: great call and responses urge you to echo the words back, the drumming is fast and gets you tapping your feet and the guitar work is tight and basic (but not too basic to be to its detriment). The rise and fall of all the parts of this machine interacting and each having their time to shine is almost perfect. However, this track could have ended about five seconds earlier. What's with that weird drum sequence at the end?
Certain to Spill, track two, falls down a bit in the aftermath of the post pop-punk explosion that was 23 but only in the sense that it is showcasing that this is no "one track, one sound" band. This track gives you a chance to breathe after the explosion of the opener: only momentarily though, as this bad boy picks that energy right back up about halfway through. This song again is an homage to the classic days of mainstream pop-punk: you can almost feel Ocean Avenue under your feet, which are still tapping. While I didn't feel this song is as good as the first track, it's super tight and catchy as hell. The breakdown almost breaks your heart with the vivacity and urgency in the vocals. Things are quickly ramped right back up, though, with the call and responses signalling it's time to leave their audience hungry and begging for more with an abrupt end to this track.
Nightmare Fuel begins a little like a Red City Radio song, with aggressive, upbeat guitars drawing you in. However, as soon as the vocals start it feels like Dave Hause was definitely at work here. In fact this song sounds like it could have been a bonus track off 2013's Devour. I couldn't get Dave Hause's voice out of my head when listening to this track, making it seem to me that here in particular, Harker aren't pushing any boundaries genre-wise, but this is still a solid effort. I got super jazzed listening to it. I was, though, waiting for something more to happen, almost a big bang, a musical explosion. While I was left wanting, that doesn't mean that this track fizzled out in any way. It maintained the energy that I am quickly coming to associate with Harker: this band are bringing it hard.
The final track on the EP, Sleepy Eyed, made me think instantly of classic Gaslight Anthem songs. Something about the vocals (which are still reminding me a crazy lot of Dave Hause) in those opening lines hold that dreamlike, storytelling quality that one can only really associate with Brian Fallon. This has a slightly more stripped back sound which makes the lyrics really pop, and again with the foot tapping. The band are still continuing their classic 00s pop-punk education for the next generation, with this track displaying melancholy, pop-punk style: sadness is seeping into every inch of this song through the vocals, yet it is still incredibly upbeat. It has you singing along by the end of the song, even on the first listen.
So ends my first encounter with Harker. Overall this is a solid effort by the Brighton four-piece which clearly conveys that they have big ambitions and aren't going anywhere anytime soon. They've made a fan out of me for sure.
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