EP REVIEW: Lifestyle – TRC
Anyone who is even vaguely familiar with the British hardcore scene knows who TRC are. Their groove-laden approach to the rowdy sound set them apart but it was the duel vocal delivery that really got them on the map. That and an innate ability to get under people’s skin with their lyrics and attitude. It’s been an awfully long time since we heard anything substantial from camp TRC, but now we have a six track EP with three fresh cuts to satisfy even the most rabid of fans. Despite us already being given half of the full package here, the opening three songs are all sufficiently brutish and with enough cocky character to aggravate even the most headstrong of individuals.
Moaner starts things off with a direct middle finger to the lazy individuals who are happy complaining about their current predicaments rather than sorting the problems. This initial song represents the first exposure to the overarching theme of the whole EP, one of maintaining a positive and successful lifestyle and taking personal responsibility for such progression. In this case, Moaner provides a tongue in cheek approach to dealing with online negativity and noticeably echoes previous work such as H.A.T.E.R.S.
There does seem to be a general feeling of the band having their tongue firmly in cheek, as Scrounger declares the group’s hatred for people borrowing and not giving back, using metaphors of splitting a dinner bill and Anthony Carroll screaming ‘Get off my table!’ It helps reflect the passion project beginnings of the EP and the now deep rooted ethos it has brought with it. It certainly allows for a true air of positivity to eek through the speakers whenever the EP plays, and it is only heightened by the fantastic vocal too-and-fro between Chris Robson and Anthony Carroll.
London’s Greatest Love Story Pt. 2 unfortunately doesn’t hit the same controversial notes as its former rendition. The narrative style of vocal prose remains a fantastic way to set apart the group and song especially, but without the unique position taken by Chris when spitting his lyrics does prevent this song from reaching the same lofty heights its previous edition saw. The best moments from the EP come about when TRC throw their weight around with absolute indiscretion. Whether it’s the fast paced riffing in Greatest Love Story or the utterly thunderous conclusion to Same. But Better, or even the pit bull snarl of Nathan Prowler making its presence felt on Take It.
When they’re not working on anyone’s time, and the music is created with the pure intention of enjoyment from the musicians stand point, TRC are able to make some of the most down right fun yet bludgeoning hardcore music around. Oozing positivity and the fire to motivate, Lifestyle provides ample moments of macho heaviness to satisfy every level of hardcore fan, and even though the attempt to recapture the same magic as before didn’t hit the mark, there is enough new here to make the bands absence feel worth the wait.
Rating: 7/10
Lifestyle is out now via self-release.
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