Indian Taker is a punk rock band reigning from Modesto, California. Having previously made an EP last February, the eager band decided to team up with the UK’s Shortcuts to release a five-track split on January 29th. Although both bands are similar in genre, they each have their own sound that leaves you wishing for more.
The split starts off with three songs from Indian Taker. From giving the split a few listens, I got the vibe that Indian Taker drew influences from bands that range between Boys Night Out, mewithoutYou and even hints of early Thursday. Instrumentally, this band draws intricate guitar work that has more of an ambient vibe, yet still remain up-tempo and keeping you on the edge of your seat with attention-grabbing dual-vocals that balance each other out very well. The first song, Growing Feigns, starts off with a fairly mellow instrumental intro before the heavy parts kick in and enable you to really jam. Their following song, Interlude, is simply a 46-second song made up of ambient instrumentals while the final song, Foxholes, easily steals the show. I would even go as far as to say that it’s the best song on the entire EP. It starts off with a Title Fight-influenced intro before heading into the vocals, which completely reminds me of Troubled Coast in the best possible way.
The next two songs come from the UK-based punk rock/emo band, Shortcuts. In my personal opinion, Shortcuts produces the weaker end of the split. They start off with Bowling, which sets the tone reminiscent to the likes of Jawbreaker. This song clearly shows where their roots lie and while it may not be the most appealing vocally, it seems they stay true to their genre. They close off the split with Wonderland, which once again lacks quality in the vocal department, but still provides the edgy sound that fits their punk rock persona.
Out of five stars, I would give this split a solid 3. Though it has its perks, it’s apparent that this EP is clearly lopsided. It left my musical pallet cut short. Get it? Shortcuts. I'm funny. Jokes aside, give it a listen.
Tracklist:
Indian Taker
1. Growing Feigns
2. Interlude
3. Foxholes
Shortcuts
4. Wonderland
5. Bowling
Rating:
Written by Mary Harvilla
