poppedmusic

The New Vice

Released 17th June 2016

Words: Gary Feeney

Following hot on the heels of their debut 201 E.P, Dublin quarter Otherkin are back with their second such release, The New Vice. I really enjoyed the previous EP (which you can read about on Popped here) and since then, a bit of a buzz has begun to grow around the band, not least due to their by all account riotous live shows.

Picking up from where they left off last time, The New Vice is another collection of short, energetic punk-edged songs, opening with I Was Born which may be my favourite of the band’s to date. Clocking in at just under the three minute mark, it’s the quintessential Otherkin song. When I say there’s no frills to it, I mean it in the best possible way – it’s straight-up, no-nonsense rock’n’roll music designed to be fun. In that vein, I found myself reminded of the Hives as the E.P progresses – it’s not that they sound alike as such, but there’s the same good-time, pop vibe at play, complimenting the frantic rush of loud guitars and snappy vocals.

Speaking of their live shows, it’s an E.P. that promises to be electric in small, sweaty venues, with Yeah, I Know in particular likely to whip up a frenzy which along with I Was Born, it’s probably my favourite track on the E.P. Like most of Otherkin’s song, there’s not a great deal going on lyrically, but such is their style, the vocals are largely there to contribute to the song and to provide a melody – there’s lots of “oh”s and “yeahs” going on– but it fits the band’s sound perfectly. In the midst of the musical raucousness, there’s no real call for much else and again, it all adds to the care-free, fun vibe that dominates proceedings.

Otherkin seem to be the kind of band who are capable of making a constant stream of good, enjoyable songs and the immediate, uplifting nature of them suggests that they’re likely to be a hit – they’re the kind of songs you can put on whilst you’re getting ready to go out to get you in the mood or that you can listen to in work if you’re a bit bored and in need of a wee boost. Short, sharp and downright good fun, there’s nothing not to like about this E.P.

Listen to  Yeah I Know here: