The rise of punk rock in the 70s was one of the greatest movements in the history of popular music. Almost two decades later, we saw bands infusing the stripped back, abrasive and anti-establishment attitude of punk-rock with contemporary pop music. This gave way to the rise of pop-punk acts like Green Day and the Offspring in the mid-90s but quickly faded from relevance towards the end of the 2000s. The Chandigarh-based band, I Quit aims to resuscitate this pop-punk aesthetic and breathe new life into it in a different era with These Our Bombs.
On this five track EP, the band spares no expense to pay homage to its obvious influences hailing from the 2000s. Throughout the record, we are subjected to fast-paced and stripped back instrumentals that speak to the angsty 12-year-old in you. However, this decision by the band also proves detrimental in a lot of places as the listener is left rummaging desperately through the limited soundscape for any hint of originality or freshness. This freshness comes to light in the track, ‘Eye Candy’ which features an instrumental bridge which is riddled with plot twists and surprises to keep the listener engaged.
All songs in the EP are sonically consistent in terms of both the overall structure and the instrumental aesthetic. The tracks touch upon themes of friendship, lost love, freedom and reminiscence. The primary challenge with genre revival projects such as this one is to revisit the reason why the genre became big in the first place while adding a modern and more relevant flavour to it. With this EP, the band brings back the appeal of garage rock albeit by doing little more than aping that sound.
However, the driving riffs and unrelenting vocals do make for a very enjoyable and entertaining listen. From end to end, the EP manages to keep the momentum and tempo going without any space to breathe in between. It is riddled with catchy choruses and punchy percussion which give rise to entertaining and adrenaline-infused melodies. Innovation and creativity aside, every track in the EP strikes a rabid repertoire with the listener’s feet and fingers. The upbeat and motivational lyrical themes and instrumentation make the EP ideal for a road trip or to encourage the listener to get out of bed and come up with an excuse for being late to work.
