Full disclosure, I’ve been online friends with half of The Triceratops (the drumming half) for years. He performs under a pseudonym here, but dude’s dang talented. He messaged me when this debut EP came out, making sure I knew he was really happy with the results and urging me to give it a listen. I did! I liked it! It’s no surprise that I have a soft spot for power-pop rock bands. The Triceratops certainly has a foot (or four) in that lane. Also – just learned that this is a teaser of sorts with an LP due out in July.
The band recorded this themselves at their practice spot and then had Andrew Schneider (Unsane, KEN Mode, etc) mix it. As a two-piece, you never know what to expect, but the guitarist runs a bass amp off his signal too and it provides plenty of low end. The hardest rocking bits of the EP have all the heft they could need. The guitars sound great, with a raunchy tone and the occasional splats of feedback adding flavor. The drums hit with plenty of snap and thump, driving the songs with ease. The vocals sit in a good spot and match the tones of the band well enough. The piano at the end sounds creepy and sad too. Cool.
This is a quick, fun listen! I could see this appealing to fans of stuff like Smile and Cursive. Check it out! – Jason
George Romero Got Flesh Right – Heck yeah! This EP kicks off with a massively thick splash of dirty power-pop and it rules. This song is catchy, driving, and jams. I love the shrieks of feedback and the hoarsely delivered vocals, and the subject matter is pretty rad too. This song cooks. It seems to end all too soon. This reminds me of all my favorite 90s early 2000s rock bands. Thumbs way, way up!
Pull Me Through – After the opening bombast, the EP steers into much quieter territory on this, the second track. Opening with what sounds like a ukelele or an acoustic guitar (FYI – it was a mandolin), I was happily surprised when the band comes slamming in around the one-minute mark and we’re back to getting rocked. This is another meaty slab of power-pop that’s catchy and accessible, but still packs the heaviness of tone that I crave. Good stuff!
Half Of The Triceratops – This acoustic bit is so short it’s almost not even a song, but it’s not an interlude either. It’s just a short and sweet little number that does a fine job.
Orcas Of The World Unite – In light of orcas sinking yachts in the Mediterranean, it would seem that maybe they have decided to join forces and make man pay (spoiler alert, its too late). This is the noisiest and most chaotic song on this EP, and starts with some killer “orca” sounds revealed to be played on a drum head on their IG. I appreciate the uptempo charge on this song, and the busy vocal. It’s another short tune that does a fine job of rocking the block.
Iocane – This is the longest cut on the EP at almost six-and-a-half minutes long. That’s an epic compared to the other two-minute bangers presented here. The mournful piano and vocal carry the song for for the first minute before a noisy guitar comes screeching in. This track harkens back to the days when bands had the gumption to write a song without any drums. It’s weird at first, because I found myself waiting anxiously for them to come in, only to find it never happens. Repeated listens however, revealed a fairly cool track that lets the band flex some other songwriting chops. Ultimately, it might be a little too long for my tastes, but whatevs.
supercorrupter 