At first the band sounds muffled and distant, but growing louder and clearer, as if you’re walking down a hallway toward the source of the sound, until the screech of a pick scraped along the strings brings everything into screaming, pounding focus. “Persistence,” the opening track of Friday Giant’s new EP Something Worth Saving, is intense – it’s a fast-tempo, high-energy rocker that ticks all the post-hardcore boxes without sounding like every other post-hardcore song. The vocals range between smoothly melodic to primally screamed, investing the listener in the emotional space of the song. “Something Worth Saving” smacks you in the fact with more pounding drums and chunky guitar, laying a foundation for a catchy guitar hook and more of those dynamic vocals.
The aggression gets kicked up past 11 on “Anything But You,” blazing into metal territory while maintaining the punk/hardcore sensibility – it’s big, brash, energetic, and in my opinion the standout track on the EP. “Flatline” pulls back the throttle a bit, with a more open arrangement, giving the band room to show off more subtle songcraft and performance, but with more of those big guitars and vocals on the chorus. Closer “Carolina” starts slower and brooding, as close to a ballad as they get in this EP, until ultimately exploding into the impassioned scream they do so well.
All in all, this newest offering from Friday Giants, as with so many great EPs from the Cincinnati music scene, leaves me wanting more, and I am definitely hoping for a full-length album from them in the future. In short, Something Worth Saving is definitely something worth listening to.
Tracklist:
1. Persistence
2. Something Worth Saving
3. Anything But You
4. Flatline
5. Carolina
Don't miss their EP Release Party at Bogart's on Saturday, June 15!
