It’s seeming like there might be quite a busy year ahead for the recently reformed Pennsylvania pop punk outfit The Starting Line. With their return to Slam Dunk already confirmed for this May, the quintet have let new EP ‘Anyways’ loose as both a refresher and a taste of what’s to come.

A three-track effort clocking in just under the ten-minute mark, ‘Anyways’ doesn’t really leave much time to mess around. All three tracks are straight to the point to ensure the quickfire EP leaves a lasting impression. You might have a good idea of what to expect from The Starting Line but that doesn’t make ‘Anyways’ any less of an entertaining opener to a record with lots to say and not much time to say it.

‘Quitter’ is an even punchier affair, and it’s not difficult to imagine it getting a lot of bodies moving when bashed out live. It certainly does its job; despite coming to an end so quickly, the track is enjoyable enough to ensure you’ll be going back to it a whole lot after the first listen. Both musically and lyrically infectious, it’s certainly not a song you’ll be letting go of in a hurry.

Any compliments you could pay to ‘Quitter’ on its own could quite feasibly be extended to the ‘Anyways’’ EP as a whole. ‘Luck’ certainly doesn’t come close to dropping the ball, and as it single-handedly almost doubles the length of the EP in a rather anthemic conclusion. The track gives ‘Anyways’ the real staying power it needed.

It’s clearest on the record’s closing track just how well the quintet have come along in the eight and a half years since ‘Direction’. While The Starting Line’s first studio release since then is a brief one – like a sudden passing on a busy street with an old friend you’ve not seen in years – it remains an excellent note on which to return. Hopefully, we won’t be waiting quite so long for more from The Starting Line, but regardless of what happens next ‘Anyways’ is a delightful comeback.

4/5

‘Anyways’ EP by The Starting Line is out now on Downtown Records.

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Words by Antony Lusmore (@VilinskiKonjic)