First impressions are everything. A job recruiter will tell you that, and your parents will certainly tell you that (probably too often). You never get a second chance at them, and you just hope you make a damn good one. Enter: Eagulls. The post-punk quintet from Leeds, England exploded onto the US music scene with their incredibly raw, energetic self-titled debut this past spring. With the volume turned up to eleven and a cheeky band name, the group fronted by the charismatic George Mitchell ensured that the music world would never forget their big bang.
Eagulls is a pretty short album (ten songs in under forty minutes), but each track absolutely rips. From the very first fuzzy feedback seconds of album opener “Nerve Endings” to the rapid-fire bass line within the eerie “Footsteps,” you can hear the heavy influence of bands like The Clash, The Cure, and enticing hints of Devo. With track titles like “Tough Luck,” “Fester / Blister,” and “Soulless Youth”—along with the charming album art featuring a smoldering car in front of one of England’s lovely council blocks—it’s clear that the lads have something to prove and a tough history to back up the chip on their shoulder. But with music like this, it’s hard not to secretly hope that resolution is very far away. —Bailey Pennick
