‘The Momentary Effects of Sadness’ is the second EP from Plymouth post hardcore quartet Patrons. The term “post hardcore” almost doesn’t quite do the band justice, they cover so much more ground in this EP, with elements of straight up melodic rock, emo and some almost math rock parts. This provides a different angle to the usual “everything on 10” sound of many post hardcore bands.
’Lost Age’ doesn’t quite start with the punch I had hoped, instead it slowly builds momentum with clean guitars and shouty (almost) Thrice style vocals. After a slow start, the track quickly becomes a juggernaut of guitar and drums. This provides the perfect backdrop for the soaring vocal style throughout. Towards the end of this track, the clever use of dynamics helps to end this track on a crushingly heavy note.
’Circus’ gets going a lot quicker with an opening stop/startriff reminiscent of early Biffy Clyro. Again the last minute of the track truly shines; a lovely breakdown that will surely become a fan favourite before long. Unfortunately it offers little in between, much like the first track Patrons flirt between clean sections and crushing heavy parts, but it seems to now seem a bit predictable.
However ‘Old Rain’ quickly crushed my pessimism , a short rock song full of riffs and hooks. The vocals on this one reminds me of British cult heroes Rueben which is very much a compliment. Although it is perhaps the simplest song on the album is it by no means short of ideas. The tempo is slightly more consistent throughout which keeps the track moving along nicely, even though the jittery sound of the other tracks is still there. ‘Blood Symphony’ provides a stellar end to this EP, a 7 minute epic of heartfelt vocals and more great riffs. Although it does follow a similar cleandirty formula, there is enough going on to keep this track interesting throughout. Some longer songs suffer from being overly complicate epics, or a bit repetitive and samey but thankfully ‘Blood Symphony’ avoids both these categories.
’The Momentary Effects of Sadness’ is a solid second EP, with many glimpses of what the band are capable of. They are pushing the boundaries of post hardcore and provide a new but refreshing sound that works extremely well, despite being slightly schizophrenic throughout.Patrons have caught the eye of many publications this year and its easy to see why.
4/5
’The Momentary Effects of Sunlight’ by Patrons is released on March 13th.
Patrons links: Facebook|Bandcamp
Words by Andy McGonigle (@andyjmcg87)
