Encased in super-cool illuminous orange packaging, 'Army Of Cats' is the third release from Leeds-based punkers Eighty Six *and certainly sees them mark out their own territory in the field of punky post-rock. Taking their collective cues from the likes of *Girls Against Boys *and *Hot Snakes, Eighty Six carve out a delicious sound that harks back to the rough-hewned melodies of those great mid-‘90s melodic punk bands; a time when an album was able to grow on you over time and unveil some sparkling walkman-hogging tunes as a result. Add to that some nice post-rock angularity and _'Army Of Cats' _is such an album.
It also shows a band much more assured of their direction, honing down their craft through some blazing rock, less reliant on melodic perfection and more in tune with aggressive outbursts of pure rock, the punchy _'Stranger Danger!' _powered by one of the finest rock riffs to come out of Leeds in a very long time! The beautifully abrasive closer _'Phantom Limb' _is, however, the stand-out track on this EP, tarnished only by some shaky vocal melodies. Overall though, a spanking good effort.
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7Mat Hocking's Score