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Bugeye

Rough Cuts and Bruises EP

Label: Release Date: 08/08/2004

holliy by holliy August 12th, 2004

Bugeye’s 5-track EP is all barbed wire and punk edginess hidden within catchy pop hooks. Crisp, sharp drumming and entwined riffs carry tunes worth humming, making for a jagged yet tuneful and thoroughly streetwise sound. It’s a very self-aware record: clear and confident, fully itself and with a refreshing refusal to toe the musical line. Melodic vocals and a breeziness to the guitar sound are offset by edgy, urgent lyrics and an offbeat quirkiness which stands out from the crowd and is all Bugeye’s own. The trebley, spiralling guitars sound almost like keyboards at times, a sound with hints of the futuristic to it - very nice indeed.

As the vocals switch from croon to growl they always remain tuneful, which works far better with these pop-tinted gems than any hyper-emotive shouted emphasis would. Instead the barbed sweetness and understated urgency used here give impact without histrionics, hinting at the point instead of bludgeoning it home. This subtlety makes the emotional edge to the tunes more unsettling: the tangled guitar line in 'Selling Yourself Short' seems to mock the listener, with its laid-back feeling belying the anger of the vocals. This is glorious, confident riot-pop - its edgy, thwarted energy threaten to burst the songs at their seams - is well worth 15 minutes of your attention.

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