What’s obvious from listening to You Know The Drill’s debut ‘Losing Streak’ is that the boys from Birmingham love being in a pop-punk band. Their enthusiasm is infectious, with each song on this EP bursting with the frenetic energy you associate with the genre. A fast pace, big hooks, lots of melody, emotive lyrics; it’s all here. Making ‘Losing Streak’ a lot of fun to listen to.

But sadly, a lot of what is included here has been done far too many times before, with the usual tropes associated with pop-punk sneaking in and becoming too obvious to ignore. Influences are unashamedly flaunted, with many vocal lines and breakdowns feeling derivative of the more hardcore cuts from New Found Glory’sback catalogue. Meanwhile, the band’s first single, ‘Less Than You’, leads with a guitar riff that Tom DeLonge could have written in his ‘Enema of the State’ days.

Pleasingly, EP ender ‘Repose’ shows the band starting to come into their own. The track feels grittier and more heartfelt, with a chorus so catchy it will surely stir up some big sing-alongs from a live crowd. Vocalist Benji Yapp puts in his best performance here also, with his hooks hitting harder than on any other song on the record, which is no easy task on an EP which boasts such a catchy collection of songs.

It is a shame that the band don’t show a little more ambition throughout the EP, as there are a number of positives scattered throughout the five songs. But, for a debut EP, it is hard to deny You Know The Drill’s overall promise and quality for performing the music that they clearly love. The result is a quick-fire blast of pop-punk fun. Watch this space.

3.5/5

‘Losing Streak’ EP by You Know The Drill is released on October 28th on Scylla Records.

You Know The Drill links: Facebook|Twitter|Bandcamp

Words by Joe Philpott (@joe_philpott)