If you remember Crushed Beaks’ early shows, you might have the London duo pinned down as a fuzzy garage-punk band of a rather simplistic nature. On their debut EP, though, that raucous energy is channelled into noise-fuelled surf-rock of comparatively subtle refinement. Opener ‘Tropes’ recalls The Vaccines’ super-quick hit ‘Wreckin’ Bar (Ra Ra Ra)’, the ferocious drumming blurring into a nostalgic, reverb-soaked haze; second track ‘Feelers’ hides tuneful chord shifts and Matthew Poile’s nasal vocals behind a lo-fi barrage. The brute force of their early shows remains, but increasingly, we’re hearing their pop hooks shine through, too.
Simon Butcher