ALBUM REVIEW: Preach This! – borts

Salisbury-based punk outfit BORTS have finally put out their debut full-length record Preach This! – a long awaited effort following over a year’s worth of support from the likes of the BBC Radio 1 Rock Show, Rock Sound and Kerrang!. Members of BORTS also have experience within the rock music community after being a part of the bands YOUR DEMISE and TIRELESS, and with all of these factors you can’t help but wonder if they’re worth the hype. The short answer: absolutely.

We start off with Creeps Get Beats that opens with a crisp guitar sound that creates a moody atmosphere, with similarities to BIFFY CLYRO arising. You can feel the emotion emitted through the vocals that grow louder and louder, leaving you in anticipation of some sort of climax as all of the instruments clash together, but it doesn’t happen. Yet you feel so engaged by it as the nostalgic rock style wraps you like a warm blanket.

We do receive that breakdown we hoped for when it comes to the following track Like, Music Again! that switches up to a much faster guitar sound as we head into more of the fare of your standard British pop-punk/alternative rock scene. Once again you can’t help but draw similarities to other artists, specifically NECK DEEP and BOSTON MANOR in this instance, but the most important thing is that it still feels unique.

And that’s the lovely thing about this record, it has that familiarity of other artists you perhaps grew up listening to, but never once do you feel as if you’re listening to a wannabe clone. From the moody brilliance of Broke Alone that draws comparison to Reckless by YOU ME AT SIX, Welcome Break that somehow sounds like a mash-up between NECK DEEP and THE WOMBATS, and concluding track Me & The Demons that is incredibly reminiscent of GREEN DAY’s Christie Road, BORTS make it all completely their own. They take you on journey through the different emotions of feeling vulnerable, like in The Nurse (before of course switching things up where you want to dance instead), the mosh-inducing Get Sold, and Keeping Them Alive that leaves you wanting to sway along.

Overall Preach This! is a highly enjoyable album that blends in perfectly with the British pop-punk music scene, as well as the alternative movement as a whole. It is only BORTS‘ debut and you can already picture them at sold-out shows, playing with the likes of YOU ME AT SIX, BOSTON MANOR, NECK DEEP and perhaps even going on to influence the next wave of young musicians in years to come. We are so excited to hear more from these guys.

Rating: 9/10

Preach This! is out now via Lockjaw Records.

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