Bruise Control are a garage punk band from Manchester who have timed their existence shockingly. HMRCEP follows their self-titled debut 4 track EP, which was released in June 2020. Still, they managed to sell out of the physical cassette of that pretty quickly.
The new EP is kind of two tracks but also sorta kinda three, so it just about gets away with being called an EP.
The title track is a rip roaring, anthemic chunk of punk rock. The riff is big and dumb, the vocals almost like a drunk Jonathan Richman, shouting at random people in the street. They use the simple trick of basically repeating the riff ad nauseam at different speeds and it works delightfully.
‘Bottom Feeder/Not Very Far’ follows. The first part ‘Bottom Feeder’ is like a hybrid of a Parquet Courts punk song and Sweet’s ‘Ballroom Blitz’. ‘Not Very Far’ is all the more chaotic. Played at lightning speed, you can imagine the beer flying around in a tiny sweat box venue. As it continues to gather pace and we really get into it the tape suddenly warps and makes way for a comically cheesy bass jam to finish.
Bruise Control clearly have a mischievous streak about them that will no doubt make for an entertaining live show. It’s naughty boys music. The good news, if you live in Manchester, is that they’re due to play at the Star & Garter on 26th June. Proceeds from that show will go towards the Star & Garter crowdfunder. A noble cause to support one of Manchester’s regular grassroots circuit venues.
You may enjoy this if you like: Parquet Courts, Michael, Minor Threat
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