With Brighton punk quartet Harker filling out their full-band skin (initiated by previous sole force frontman Mark Boniface), new EP ‘A Lifetime Apart’ is the result of a full fleshed-out ruckus punk rock assault.
‘A Lifetime Apart’ honours a brand of punk that shows the inseparable power of ear-shattering gains of guitar with the classic youthful exuberance. The EP has moments that share a likeness to The Bouncing Souls in their infancy and the lighter side of Hot Water Music.
Drum rolls signal the opener ’23’ that brings siren-ringing guitars to the forefront, determined to disrupt listeners. Boniface describes a similar restless feeling stating, “Feels like a comatose, but I can’t get any kind of sleep,” evoked by jarring instrumental strokes.
The production is perfect, catering to the odd quirky paralyzing bends of ‘Nightmare Fuel’ that leans towards a shoegaze-y tremolo whirl. Boniface’s voice doesn’t allow space for you to doubt his self-deprecating, “I tied all my grief in a knot and took it with me, to feel less a burden,” in his Matt Pryor-esque charm on ‘Sleepy Eyes’.
‘A Lifetime Apart’ is devoid of any filler, substantiating Boniface’s claims of the band of showing a “progression from a singer with a backing band to a proper four piece unit.”
4/5
‘A Lifetime Apart’ EP by Harker is out now on Paper + Plastick / No Panic Records.
Harker links: Website|Facebook|Twitter
Words by Aaron Akeredolu (@boymostlikelyto)
