Fiend Fiend EP
Great little debut from Galway, Ireland’s FIEND. These folks pull of the modern hardcore/punk style as exemplified by bands like RUT or BIB with aplomb. Each track is different from each other, from the brooding “Fiend” to the stomper “Scum,” but all of them explore territory that other bands have covered before. Indeed while listening to this I felt like I have heard this riffs and ideas plenty of times before. That’s not a knock against them—they’re copying from the right people—but it needs something to help it stand out from the pack. There’s a lot to like here, and I have high hopes for their next record.