EP REVIEW: Pulling Focus – Action/Adventure

The poster boys of pop punk throughout history have always been white. Tom Delonge, Jordan Pundik and Parker Cannon are just a few white men who spring to mind when one thinks of the face of the genre. ACTION/ADVENTURE are now one of the latest bands in the alternative scene challenging this stereotype. Their fourth EP, Pulling Focus, makes sure their names will one day be up there with their white counterparts.

Blake Evaristo [vocals], Brompton Jackson [vocals/guitar], Oren Trace [guitars], Manny Avila [bass] and Adrian Brown [drums] are ones to remember. All four of them are BIPOC (black, indigenous, people of colour), and straight off the bat want to address this. The first line of the EP opener Barricade questions “would you listen if we looked any different?”.

This poignant track is a direct call-out to anyone who has discriminated against them or disregarded their music because of their race. It came paired with an emotion-fuelled video featuring derogatory comments made to them over the years. The phrases “you sound sooo white”, “you’re not black enough” and “I’m surprised you guys were that good”, along with lyrics such as “would you listen if we all looked the same?” completely contrast the upbeat, preppy pop punk sound they carry throughout.

This just reinforces their message, showing that they won’t allow racial prejudice to diminish their sound. Only one minute long, this was perfect for releasing on TikTok, where they started the movement #PopPunkInColour and allowed them to reach over a million viewers as well as sign to Pure Noise Records. However, its short stance leaves you craving more. As one of the lead singles and the most moving song on the EP, Barricade of course is the most noteworthy one of the seven. However, this does not mean the following tracks deserve any less of your time.

Despite being from Chicago, their sound has a very distinctive tinge which is common of UK pop punk, particularly early ROAM and AS IT IS. Poser and Tuck especially showcase this as melodic guitar riffs, catchy choruses and energising gang vocals prevail. Club 27 shows more versatility as down tuning is introduced, making the immense guitar riffs far more prominent. Within this track, the bass and guitars are particularly well written and produced, layered well despite their varying rhythms and patterns. This is a common mistake made when trying to add more texture to an unfortunately repetitive genre and it’s a real relief to see ACTION/ADVENTURE avoid it.

Instrumentally, there is nothing terribly ground-breaking within Pulling Focus, but each track on the EP has great appeal to any fan of the genre. Their lyrical content, however, is more than enough for listeners to bite their teeth into, giving ACTION/ADVENTURE their main USP and gaining them a lot of respect from a massive number of new fans. Pulling Focus may not reinvent the wheel, but it may just start a movement.

Rating: 8/10

Pulling Focus is out now via Pure Noise Records. 

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