EP REVIEW: Shellshock – Dizzy Planet

DIZZY PLANET have named their new EP Shellshock because it partly reflects their change in sound. The trio from Fremantle, Western Australia, have decided to fully embrace their heavy side on their new three-track EP. Mostly known for their grunge, punk, alt-rock sound, the band combine their loud rhythm section with frantic guitar riffs. Although the EP only comprises three tracks, each one works well to evolve the band’s sound.

The band’s latest single Break Me Down opens the EP up in a flurry of guitar riffs and soft drum beats that build up before exploding into a storm of chaos. Bradley Campbell‘s hardcore punk vocals contrast well with the softer rock instruments, although the track does fall into a repetitive pattern in both a lyrical and instrumental sense, which isn’t helped by the relatively long runtime. Headlights is a mid-tempo song that makes the most of the bass guitar. It also is half the runtime of the opener and thankfully manages to rectify the issues of the first song by being sharp, coherent and heavy, especially in the drumming. The only issue is that it ends slightly abruptly.

Closing song Eyes is another bass-heavy song, and it starts out slow and steady before diving into some grunge rock. This song balances out the instruments and the vocals. Whilst the repetition is still there, it is broken up by the instrumental solos.

Ultimately, Shellshock is a decent EP with brilliant instrumentals and fun vocals. Although the first song is repetitive, it fits in well with the rest of the songs because they all fall into this pattern. Whilst this does make the EP coherent, it is not perfect; it could definitely have done with an extra song, and despite the tracks sounding different musically, the major issue is that they stick to a formula and don’t really try anything new. There is potential here, especially in the last song, but the constraints that the band put on themselves ultimate make the end product a little underwhelming.

Rating: 6/10

Shellshock is set for release on February 16th via self-release.

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