I’ll never get tired of working with artists to get the word out about their music. So when I received an e-mail from Wakefield, England‘s Justin Eastwood, telling me about his band, Cold Summer, I was excited. After all, I’m just a music loving kid from Southern California who writes about what he loves. I’ve never been to England, so my limited knowledge of British geography places Wakefield as simply far away, across the ocean somewhere.
I got a chance to listen to their recently released EP, Wake, which is their second independently released EP of 2012. The five song EP opens with a groovy, foreboding bass line, backed by Justin Eastwood’s constant drumming on the track “Waiting”. Dan Feast’s clean vocals remind the listener of Green Day front man Billie Joe Armstrong, while his screams sound of desperation.
Next is the eponymous track “Wake”, which is essentially an interlude, extending the feel of the first track and providing respite before the next.
“A is for Arson” is a frantic song from start to finish. The song changes up about halfway through and there’s some really nice work by Chris Hepworth on guitar in this one. Justin Eastwood’s drumming rounds out the track nicely.
“Car Crash (In Progress)” at least in name, brings to mind Thrice’s “The Artist in the Ambulance” and Armor For Sleep‘s “Car Underwater.” I really like the vocals on this track. Dan Feast repeats, both in clean and screamed vocals, “We are a car crash that is in progress.” Simply written, but interesting in the say it’s performed and blends so well with the instrumentals. It really feels like you’re in a head on collision by the end of the song.
(Photo Credit: Natalie Wood
As if placed perfectly to soothe the victims of the aforementioned car crash, “Mistakes” closes the EP with a stripped down, almost acoustic vibe. “When will we learn from our mistakes?” Asks Dan Feast as earnestly as possible. The question remains unanswered at the end, as his voice fades along with the music.
If you’re into punk, hardcore or post hardcore, you may be interested in checking out Cold Summer. I like what I’ve heard so far and I may have to check out their first EP, “Transitions”, which consists of slower songs like the closer “Mistakes.” My only complaint is that there isn’t more here. Four and a half songs has left me wanting more. I want to thank Justin Eastwood for asking me to check out his band and I encourage them to continue making music. For more of Cold Summer, check them out on Band Camp, FaceBook, Tumblr, and Twitter.
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