They’ve had their ups and downs in recent months, but with relocation to Bristol helping to deal with some personal demons, Jeremy Pitcher’s Austeros have returned with a strong little collection of pop-rocking indie hits. The five track EP not only covers the singer’s mental health and weed issues, but also muses on the hard-headed prejudices brought to the fore in the post-Brexit/Trump political climate.

‘To Be You’ kicks things off with a catchy bass-driven slice of mid-paced indie pop; it’s bright and breezy riffing contrasting nicely with its theme of narrow-mindedness. ‘Dead Cells’ follows with a harder edge, the quirky melody and heavy riffing vaguely recalling Green Day; it’s another well-constructed song that pulls no punches as it tackles habitual drug use head on.

‘Cherished’ then strips things down and is simple, beautiful and full of hope, before ‘Figure of Speech’ delivers another killer tune. Boasting a quality indie riff and a passionate vocal confronting blind ignorance, there are some cool switch ups to the tempo and a chorus that really nails it. Everything then comes to a pretty rousing close on the intense finale of ‘Island’, a particularly good tune showcasing another great vocal to round things off in style.

Putting it simply, this a great little record of well-honed, intelligently made songs that makes for a highly enjoyable listen. They may not be pioneering a hip new sound, but when you nail indie-rock as well as this, there can be no complaints.

4.5/5

I’ve Got This EP by Austeros is released on 14th April on Specialist Subject Records.

Austeros links: Bandcamp|Facebook|Twitter

Words by Edward Layland (@EdwardLayland)