Wolverhampton's Broozer, Are We Dead Yet? - EP review
Wolverhampton duo Broozer originally planned this EP to come out in late spring - but pick it up and give it a play and you'll be pleased to discover it was worth the wait.
Four tracks of gravelly, grainy, angtsy, sarcastic garage rock greet our ears like a drunken, slovenly friend who keeps us hanging onto our youthful ambitions even though adult life does its best to drag us away.
Recorded with "the extremely talented Ryan Pinson from RML Studios", based at the city's Newhampton Arts Centre, it slaps and slams you with regular ease.
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Broozer have only been active since last summer. And one single aside this is the first we have heard from them in a recorded capacity. It's a quick turnaround for the outfit and continues a recent trend of acts such as Walsall's The Bostin' Cockers in producing good quality material in their early days.
The boozy Hero is an absolute delight with the kind of swagger and arrogance tucked up in that deep, dribbling riff that your parents told you to stay away from in school. The crashing cacophany behind this from the sticks of Jake Goldsmith remind you more than a little of Royal Blood's Ben Thatcher, and the sheer volume of this should sound great in a live setting. It should also be noted that Goldsmith and Duncan McHugh also switch between instruments and vocals regularly on stage.
There's some proper Bass Drum Of Death and Cloud Nothings-like distortion to I'm Ok, and we're more than okay with that. This is prime toddler tantrum in a supermarket. It swirls and rises and falls with eager abandon as McHugh's guttural vocal delivery adds to the punk feel.
Give Um Hell is another decent stomp through this band's early ideas, with a beautifully grouchy guitar melody throughout the high-octane chorus that echoes some of Turbowolf's best work. It's a real rock stomper from start to finish.
The opening track Thank You Baby is actually the weakest of the four with its altering pace and interchanging vocals not quite impressing like the heavier approach of the other material. But it doesn't stop the EP's flow much.
It's an impressive start for the duo, and one that has us hankering for more releases in hopefully just-as-quick a time.
Rating: 7/10
Broozer can be found on Twitterand Facebook, both @broozeruk. The EP can be heard on their Spotify page. A video for the track Hero can be viewed on their YouTube channel. Keep an eye on their social media channels for future gigs.
