EP REVIEW: Frontier – Dead Reynolds

If you were to traverse the annals of rock music in the UK over the past 50 years, the chances are that you wouldn’t come across many acts hailing from East Anglia. Looking to break that tradition and forge a westward (and upward) path for themselves are DEAD REYNOLDS, an alt-rock collective who have a real penchant for big choruses, bigger hooks, and an unmistakably British sense of melodic lyricism. 

Kicking off Frontier – the band’s sophomore EP – opening salvo By Your Side employs every trick in the melodic book to create a solid slab of anthemic, catchy pop-rock that – while not exactly pushing boundaries – does make it almost impossible to refrain from nodding your head or tapping your foot along in unison. It’s a perfectly decent if a tad uninspiring start, and does serve as a rather accurate summation of what’s in store over the course of the next 10-or-so minutes.

Following hot on its heels and entering the running for worst song title of the year so far (and streaking clear ala Mr. Bolt), P.S (I Loathe You) also does a job of derailing momentum slightly, dropping the pace in the opening verse a level below its predecessor which leads to a sense of playing catch-up for the rest of the song. There’s certainly an audience for this kind of thing, but a good portion of this audience is back in 2010, salivating over the emotionally-driven hooks of YOUNG GUNS or YOU ME AT SIX instead of riding the wave into the third decade of this millennium.

There are however a few punchier moments that penetrate through what sometimes feels like a wall of mediocrity – the riffs and closing notes of Bright Lights offering the best examples of respite – and the fact that there’s an abundance of energy here lifts this above the standard fare for what is becoming a genre decidedly lacking in ideas. There is also a blessed lack of the pop-rock ballad; a trope that seems to weasel its way into even the most well-meaning of records. For that reason alone it’s hard to be too harsh on DEAD REYNOLDS, and when you throw in the sheer enthusiastic vibrancy that permeates from all four corners of this EP, its repetitiveness can be partially overlooked and – if you’re feeling generous – forgiven.

If you’re a fan of the more melodic side of alt-rock then there’s going to be enough here to keep your attention for the super short run time… just don’t go expecting anything new. It’s hard to picture this quintet moving too far beyond their current level, but by the same token it’s difficult to imagine a slightly tipsy Slam Dunk crowd not lapping this up, and perhaps, when all is considered, there’s nothing much wrong with that. 

Rating: 5/10

Frontier is out now via self-release.

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