EP REVIEW: On And On – Penny Rich

South Wales-based noise rock trio PENNY RICH make a strong and extremely loud impression on their latest EP On And On, taking plenty of pointers from noise legends TUNIC. Having already made a name for themselves in their local scene earning support slots for bands such as DEATH GOALS, WHORES and BLOOD COMMAND and turning heads with their 2023 debut album If Everyone’s An Expert, What’s Left To Be Learnt?, PENNY RICH are ready to expand their sound further into the wilds of punk-infused noise rock.

Only needing 15 minutes to fly through four tracks of blistering noise, PENNY RICH make it clear from the first notes of intro track Fundamentals that they’re not wasting a single moment of runtime on On And On. Building up around a driving bassline from bassist Chris Hampson, Fundamentals launches headfirst into discordant, distorted guitar riffs and rapid, punchy percussion backing throat-ripping vocals. Where other bands might ease the listener in, PENNY RICH smack the audience with a wall of noise straight out of the gate with an unrelenting, uncompromising disdain for unruptured eardrums.

Attention must be given to the production on On And On, particularly the deafening, biting drum sound. With contributions from producer Andrew Sanders the EP has a rich, full sound that enhances the trio’s vicious explosion of noise; drummer Tobias O’Riley’s beats cut through the mix like a switchblade, particularly on the title track On And On which features the EP’s most aggressive, feedback fuelled guitars.

This isn’t to say that PENNY RICH aren’t capable of subtlety in amongst the chaos; the few moments where the trio aren’t going full-throttle stand out in the sea of distortion and screams. The aforementioned Fundamentals shines when the band take a step back and focus on a swirling clean guitar line in the bridge before building back up to a ferocious, screeching climax, while closer Broken Mirror has a similarly captivating moment of serenity built around a lone looped, feedbacking guitar line that crescendos into a suitably raucous finale. Obviously PENNY RICH excel when forcing their audience face first into wave after wave of nauseating feedback, but these moments of calm provide just enough contrast to stop the listener getting complacent.

On And On gives a glimpse into the inner workings of one of South Wales’ most exciting up and coming bands filled with deafening feedback and violent screams. PENNY RICH set a high bar for both themselves and the UK’s thriving underground rock scene as a whole with an uncompromising approach to punk-infused noise.

Rating: 7/10

On And On is out now via self-release.

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