It’s almost depressing how many bands feel the need to have a gimmick in order to get noticed, as if simply having good songs isn’t good enough. Southampton’s Creeper have put paid to that theory on second EP ‘The Callous Heart’ – these are five tracks of gimmick-free punk rock that earmark themselves as true shining lights in Britain’s music scene.

None of these tracks stray even remotely close to being disappointing. In fact, scratch that – none of these tracks stray even remotely close to being mediocre. The likes of ‘Allergies’ and ‘The Honeymoon Suite’ come across as deceptively simple, but pack more of a wallop that most of what’s come from these shores in 2015, and ‘Lie Awake’ ploughs along with the vigour and passion of a band who have been doing this for years. It’s closer ‘Henley’s Ghost’ that really catches you off guard though – a beautiful stripped-back track that sees vocalist Will Gould turn down the volume for a truly fantastic sway-along.

Speaking of Gould, he’s come on leaps and bounds since last year’s debut EP as well. There’s a noticeable shift in his vocal style this time round, with it less directly comparable to Matt Skiba on these tracks and now more like the mid-point between Skiba and Against Me!’s Laura Jane Grace. It certainly fits the band’s sound – you’d be hard pushed to find choruses that soar higher than those of ‘Black Cloud’ or ‘The Honeymoon Suite’ this year.

Overall though, ‘The Callous Heart’ represents the moment that Creeper break out of the underground and become the UK’s next big commercial success. If they carry on in this manner, there’s no shadow of a doubt that will be the case. Literally the only complaint to be had here is that there simply isn’t enough to fully get your teeth into, so just imagine what a full-length album will bring. Remember the name – you won’t be able to escape it soon enough.

4.5/5

‘The Callous Heart’ by Creeper is released on 18th September on Roadrunner Records.

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Words by Luke Nuttall(@nuttall_luke)