‘Tango’ was my first encounter with the Ballarat based punk act The Shorts and god damn, they are a lot of fun.
‘Sherlock’ is a great opener which immediately introduces the sound of the band; a mix between the music of Propagandhi with vocals more akin to The Living End or The Offspring. On top of that, their party inspired lyricism such as “Don’t know what I’ve been thinking, so I’ll just keep on drinking,” will no doubt become personal favourites of young punters in the regional music scene.
‘Shady Ladies’ really highlights that The Shorts are trying to put more of an international So-Cal influence on their punk as opposed to the Australian twang most bands are opting for. Once upon a time they would’ve been criticised for adding an American spin on their sound but as someone that listens to Australian punk every day, it’s now become quite a nice changeup.
The first half of the EP maintains the high intensity blistering speed found in acts like ‘Descendents’ or ‘The Adolescents’, but the later half ushers in a bit of a different sound.
‘Walls’ has an old school thrash vibe to it’s riff, ‘Tango’ has a real fun slow opening intro, kind of like Black Flags ‘My War’; but ‘Gerad Never Made It to the Brim’, which is their slowest and longest effort on the EP is where they really excel.
I think The Shorts seem to show much more original appeal in their longer, more experimental tracks as opposed to the standard punk numbers which highlight a lot of their musical influences. It also allows band members moments to really shine like the drum beat changing up towards the bridge of the song.
3.5/5
Thousand Islands Records
Reviewed by Alex Callan
