In 1492, Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue. In 2015, Brisbane trio Columbus set forth and with a full wind in their sails, set out to conquer the demanding world of pop-punk and goddamn, they have bloody well succeeded!
Home Remedy showcases all the elements that make this band meld so well together – tracks groove along to a classic alternative-pop-punk vibe.
4 track ep Home Remedy is a corker that has been on high rotation on my car’s Bose 300 watt stereo system for the past week and a bit – not because I was having to repeat the songs to find something good to say about them, but to let Melbournians listen to something that they (and the rest of Oz) are missing out on.
Opener Downsides of Being Honest kicks off and quickly gets into a fast paced rhythm, very reminiscent of Josie by pop-punk grand-daddy’s Blink 182 (Pretty sure Alyssa Milano is still available guys, for videos, weddings, parties, anything….or is that just a boy thing??). There’s references to staying awake late into the night – being awake in bed at 2am is mentioned in the first 3 tracks. It leaves me scratching my head a bit – Insomniac might have been a better EP title or has that been used before..…?? It slows down a little bit, to a point where guest vocalist John Floreani (frontman of Newcastle punksters Trophy Eyes ) kicks in to give us some good old-fashioned screamo before getting back into the groove for the last few verses.
Next two tracks, Toss and Turn and Hospital are just glorious tunes, moulded from some current influences like I Am the Avalanche, Off With Their Heads, The Lawrence Arms et al but sculptured into the Columbus way. Tracks groove along with classic alternative, pop-punk guitar and drum beats, softly building up in places before crashing back into it again, softer harmonious backing vocals dampen the harsher lead vocals…all the elements just meld sensationally together and all this from a three-piece!!
There is nothing bad I can say about this fast burning, 10 min 7 sec aural ecstasy – every element of the genre that is pop-punk that I love (and so should everyone else), is beautifully encapsulated in this release and the upstarts have the damn cheek of putting the best song last!
Title track starts off with a few verses of quietly spoken vocals over acoustic strum but then it explodes! Coarse, anguished, heart felt vocals so reminiscent of Vinnie Caruana (lead vocalist of I am the Avalanche and ex-Movielife), a grinding, deep bass riff just resonates in your spleen, fast paced and then off beat snare and tom-tom work, all leading to the screamo climax. It leaves you wanting SO much more and makes you wanna scream “I love this band, I NEED an album – NOW!!” from the top of the Infinity Tower.
There is no doubt that once a label like Rise, Pure Noise, Epitaph Records etc. get their hands on this EP, there’s gonna be a stampede to the gangplanks, although personally I reckon it’ll be the wonderful Hopeless Records label given the aforementioned Trophy Eyes are signed to them.
In 2015, Columbus won’t only be sailing away at a rapid rate of knots, they’ll be keeping all the other wannabees awake. Can’t wait to see them live at a nearby port!
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