Melodic hardcore is a bit like a Pot Noodle. It’s great, and it seems really easy to make, but it’s actually quite tricky to get right and just doesn’t work when you don’t get the balance.

Droves are a good Pot Noodle. They’re a Bombay Bad Boy after you’ve got home totally smashed having forgotten to tell the taxi driver to drop you off at the take-away. Despite your intoxicated state you still somehow manage to put just the right amount of hot water in and get the sauce sachet open without it going everywhere. That’s Droves.

These boys have been doing the rounds in Manchester for quite some time now and have improved impressively since their inception. Seeing them at one of their early gigs I remember thinking they had all the right parts but just needed to have everything working together at once to get the results they were after. On the basis of this new two-track EP they’ve achieved exactly this.

First track ‘Wisdom Teeth’ showcases vocalist Danny Taylor’s uncompromising style; he captures the bite and energy of genre heroes like Tom from Strike Anywhere and Nuno from A Wilhelm Scream, but also has a blunt North West spirit that moulds perfectly with this style of music.

The song itself is upbeat, recalling Polar Bear Club’s more optimistic moments right down to the big sing-along bridge/outro chorus those guys love to do.

But it’s second track ‘No Entry into Cloud City’ where things really kick up a gear. The song starts at a hundred miles an hour and surges into an absolutely belting chorus. Taylor vents his frustration at the contradictions of the Church, fuming “I wish I could say you were up there looking down on me, but lack of faith in organised religion has ruined that for me.”

It’s a short, sharp shock of a track at a minute and a half but Droves play with the urgency required to pull this off as proficiently as they handle the poppier first song.

‘Wisdom Teeth’ is Droves’ third release following last year’s mini album ‘You’re My Lungs’ and is a sure sign things are on the right path for the five-piece. Melodic punk is undergoing a bit of a revival right now with great bands like Epic Problem popping up and giving us things to fist pump to. Droves are also well worth your time if this kind of thing is your bag.

– AP