Scout – “what if, like, when we die...” Review
Posted: by Colin
STREAM THE ALBUM WHILE YOU READ
Don’t try to persuade me otherwise, I’m already convinced that there’s something in the Long Island water. The amount of phenomenal bands the area has produced over the last twenty years is so remarkable that it seems nearly impossible for such a small area to produce the type of talent it consistently churns out. With national and worldwide recognition and admiration, listing the groups that have soared out of Long Island is even a tedious endeavor at this point. Nevertheless, Taking Back Sunday, Brand New, Glassjaw, and The Movielife are just a handful of bands who given the New York scene the reputation it has today. With this being said, when I think about the Long Island niche, the word that consistently meanders to the forefront of my mind is the word “potential”. Bands both big and small from this location have always had the potential to release extraordinary albums, and have frequently followed through on such anticipations.
This is why when a new band assembles from this heavily populated and congested island, I am filled with excitement. Take for example, Scout, who display their budding potential on their sophomore EP “What If Like, When We Die…” released through Secret Audio Club Records. Clocking in at roughly eleven minutes and thirty seconds, the four song collection consists of nonstop blistering punk-rock hooks and engagingly brash vocals that should only be played loud enough to wake up your next door neighbor or not at all.
The dynamic force behind each song is the confrontational tone that is rooted in throughout the entirety of the EP. It’s not that Scout is agitated or planned to catch you off guard, they’re just telling it like it is, for better or worse. Whether that be in the first line of the opening song Spooky Basement Noises – “Chipping teeth, I’m chipping teeth every time that I speak and I can’t stop, I can’t stop sleeping in all day” or in final lines of last song Nothing Important Happened Today – “ So when the first flowers push out of the cold dead earth and the last light seems so late, I will try my hardest to ward of the void so maybe we can meet somewhere in between”.
Ultimately, there is much to takeaway from Scout’s second release. Although the band does not present their range of songwriting abilities, as a slow song or something more experimental would have been a welcome addition, the band’s lack of naivety combined with their no nonsense approach will compel you to keep revisiting the EP. Well executed vocal switch-offs, seamless transitions throughout the course of each song, and heavy hooks that still prove to be catchy enough to suffice one’s desire for pop friendly music, will have you eagerly awaiting a future LP.
7.7/10
