snake eyes – ‘skeletons’ | EP Review

To be honest, it took me a long time to find the motivation to write this review (hence its untimeliness) because of how impressed I was with snake eyes and the jealousy I have for the world as we knew it one year ago that this EP conjured up in my mind.

In 14 short minutes, snake eyes manages to produce a Covid-era album that embraces the simplicity of the Covid doldrums and restless agitation I feel in my bones, vs. the overcomplicated albums, void of genuine feeling, that many of their peers have produced over the last few months.

Highlights:

Track 1) don’t worry

You worry too much, put yourself in an early grave
You worry too much, pretty soon you’ll be going gray

So that leads me to the EP’s first track, “don’t worry,” a wishful thinking song that is more sardonic than hopeful, resulting in something tangible that I can finally stick my claws into, allowing me to pull myself up from the Cliffs of Insanity. On a lighter note, this would be a great soundtrack pick for an Edgar Wright project.

Track 2) listen

When it rains it keeps pouring
Sorry I left it got boring
Brain hurts and meds aren’t working
Just like every morning

The poppy sound of these vocals mesh perfectly with the gritty chords and the stoic lyrics. In “listen,” you’ll find a great blend of English rock from the last 30 years and confirmation that right now is a great time to up your meds before you tear your hair out from one more day of confusing nothingness. 

Track 3) skeletons

If sticks and stones break my bones I’ll be fine…
Beneath it all we’re all just skeletons
Behind the wall, we’re all so delicate

The EP’s lead off single, is a straightforward declaration to find empathy whilst also standing solid for your values. Jim Heffy’s opening vocals and strums give us a gothic flourish, embalmed with hints of Alkaline Trio and Wreckless Eric. 

Track 4) wishbone

Out there alone
With a wishbone
Out here alone

In this chaotic, morphed pop-punk track we find ourselves wanting a chance to change our own luck.

Track 5) bugged out

Time rolls by
Night by night…
Switched off all switches
Unplugged and lose connection
Growing suspicious
Straight road with no direction

This Cranberries-esque track provides us with a pivotal slow and heavy head bang for its haunting downbeat. The lyrics invade us like Bodysnatchers, leading us to ask ourselves, are we even here or just imposters of our former selves? 

As I listened to this album on repeat, I became more and move envious of the time when we were all in dive bars discovering new bands, cheap beer sloshing out of our plastic cups, and the only virus we had to worry about was the aggressively drunk 6’5” guy who insisted he needed to be knee-to-knee with the makeshift stage. I wish that snake eyes could have been one of these bands that I elbowed that fucker in the ribs to while being overcome with the joy of discovering a new band and not caring that my ankles would be screaming at me the next day for jumping up and down on a concrete floor. Despite very clear influences, snake eyes stands out as a shining gem. Beginning with the stick intro of “don’t worry,” and ending with the last kicks of the kit in “bugged out,” snake eyes offers an EP with perfect symmetry in this short, but defiant entry into the Brit-punk catalogue. 

snake eyes’ skeletons EP is available to buy now. 

Follow snake eyes on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Follow Overblown on Facebook and Twitter.

Source: overblown.co.uk