EP REVIEW: MUD – milkshed.

Named for the disused milking parlour they use as a practice space, south-west trio MILKSHED. have gone from strength to strength since the release of their debut single Apex Predator in August last year. Their sound is hard to pin down, crossing over multiple genres like grunge, rock, and pop, but at the heart of it all is a band who are hardworking, talented and ready to take on the world. Their four-track debut EP Mud exemplifies this perfectly.

The grunge guitar opener of Fair Weather Friend sets the tone of the EP really well. The catchy, sing-along chorus is perfect for a live setting, and although the lyric “I’m picking up the pieces” does get a little repetitive as the song continues, the rest of it provides a brilliant start to the EP. Whilst the aforementioned Apex Predator gets off to a slightly slower start, don’t let that fool you; the rest of the song picks up the pace, with the heavy bass providing the thumping heart of the track.

Whilst Burning Bridges is an odd mixture of fast-paced rock in the choruses and slow-paced grunge in the verses, creating a song that is all over the place tonally, the closing title track is a lot more fast-paced and coherent. It also shows a rockier side of the band that really suits them and it could hint at what they develop into in the future. The vocals throughout are engaging and fit each of the different genres well. Pacing-wise, this EP is a little scattered – it starts pretty clearly, gets slightly muddled in the middle, and then is thankfully rectified again in the closer – but musically the record flirts between pop, rock and grunge without a moment’s hesitation and the different genres work really well together.

Overall, whilst it isn’t perfect, Mud is a fantastic start to MILKSHED.‘s career. This is a fun, well-crafted EP that shows that the band know their sound, and it does a fantastic job of making sure that the different genres all fit together and do not overcrowd one another. The vocals are brilliant throughout, and the bass and guitar-driven songs are fantastic as well. There might be some way to go for the band, but this EP proves that they are definitely worth following along for the ride.

Rating: 8/10

Mud is set for release on April 24th via self-release.

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