{"id":12283,"date":"2015-01-30T13:07:05","date_gmt":"2015-01-30T13:07:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/album-review-choke-up-black-coffee-bad-habits\/"},"modified":"2018-03-21T22:16:18","modified_gmt":"2018-03-21T22:16:18","slug":"album-review-choke-up-black-coffee-bad-habits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/album-review-choke-up-black-coffee-bad-habits\/","title":{"rendered":"Album Review: Choke Up\u00a0–\u00a0Black Coffee, Bad Habits"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Apart from perhaps Tiny Engines, no other label came close to Black Numbers<\/b> last year, in my eyes at least. Every release (and I honestly do mean every release) was of the highest order, stretching the whole gamut of punk and indie-rock. Choke Up<\/strong>\u2019s \u2018Black Coffee, Bad Habits\u2019<\/em> is the label\u2019s first release of 2015 \u2013 and in a pure act of bravado is as good \u2013 if not better \u2013 than anything they put out last year. <\/p>\n

Reminiscent of last year\u2019s break-outs Pup and The Hotelier, Choke Up<\/strong> play serrated and intelligent indie-punk that commands your attention from the off. More direct than the aforementioned acts, with the punk element very much pushed to the fore, \u2018Black Coffee, Bad Habits\u2019<\/em> is still littered with hooks buried deep beneath the bluster. <\/p>\n

One thing that instantly stands out is the power and range of the vocals. Occasionally similar to the slurred delivery of Conor Oberst (in fact, Choke Up<\/strong> have been compared to Desaparecidos, and vocally, at least, it makes perfect sense) or Titus Andronicus\u2019 Patrick Stickles, they switch frequently from a gentle, Americana croon to a passionate, rabid wail. Throw in loads of gang vocals and some great interplay it ensures there\u2019s always plenty of depth and personality. Musically, Choke Up<\/strong> are on the money too, recalling everything from Strike Anywhere\u2019s politicized scuzzy blitzes to the meandering indie-rock of Signals Midwest. It\u2019s anxious and frazzled and permanently on the edge of disaster \u2013 yet is brimming with pop sensibilities, swathes of melody and some bloody fantastic choruses. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n

That the four guys from Boston manage to stay on the right side of chaos without collapsing into a messy heap is often astonishing; take \u2018KC\u2019<\/em>, for example. The song morphs from being a brutal punk blast, strips everything back to allow some great gang vocals to come to the fore before breaking out into an all-too-brief call-and-response section, then settles into a jangly emo\/post-rock style outro. Stylistically, it\u2019s a triumph. <\/p>\n

\u2018Coldest Brew\u2019<\/em>, \u2018Marcher\u2019<\/em> and opener \u2018Wildflower\u2019<\/em> are all similarly fractured, yet no less exciting, while the more straight-up pop-punk songs of \u2018Crosses\u2019<\/em> and \u20181301 Las Vegas Blvd\u2019<\/em> show what they can achieve when not throwing every conceivable idea into the mix. The lyrics to \u20181301 Las Vegas Blvd\u2019<\/em> might be a little sappy, but for the sheer likeability factor, it just about gets away with it.<\/p>\n

And, just when you think you\u2019ve got a handle on Choke Up<\/strong>, they drop the tempo and strip things back. \u2018Polka Dots\u2019<\/em> and \u2018Dry Out\u2019<\/em> are mid-paced indie-rock numbers far removed from the rest of the record. On the first few listens it might seem jarring or disconnected, but after repeated plays they soon fit the flow of the record. <\/p>\n

The only criticism really is that at 14 songs, it just feels too long. Fortunately, it\u2019s not because \u2018Black Coffee, Bad Habits\u2019<\/em> runs out of steam, instead it just feels like a couple of songs \u2013 mainly \u2018Live and Die\u2019<\/em> and \u2018My Oh My\u2019<\/em> \u2013 lack the invention or character of the rest and don\u2019t have enough about them to force themselves into your consciousness. A little more editing \u2013 or at least the confidence to drop a couple of songs \u2013 could have helped shape \u2018Black Coffee, Bad Habits\u2019<\/em> into something spectacular. Still, it always feels like I\u2019m nit-picking if I\u2019m complaining about a band not cutting songs, and in this case, it\u2019s not like they outstay their welcome \u2013 just that they\u2019re merely OK. <\/p>\n

Overall though, \u2018Black Coffee, Bad Habits\u2019<\/em> is a real statement of intent for both Choke Up<\/strong> and Black Numbers. If Black Numbers can keep the quality this high, then they\u2019re in for a banner year; for Choke Up<\/strong>, I\u2019ll be hugely disappointed if we\u2019re not hearing lots more about them over the next 12 months. <\/p>\n

4.5\/5<\/p>\n

‘Black Coffee, Bad Habits’<\/em> by Choke Up<\/strong> is released on 3rd February on Black Numbers<\/strong><\/p>\n

Choke Up<\/strong> links:
\nFacebook<\/a>|Twitter<\/a>|Bandcamp<\/a><\/p>\n

Words by Rob Mair (@BobNightMair<\/a>)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Apart from perhaps Tiny Engines, no other label came close to Black Numbers last year, in my eyes at least. Every release (and I honestly do mean every release) was of the highest order, stretching the whole gamut of punk and indie-rock. 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