Bath noise-punk duo Ghost of the Avalanche aren’t hanging around on their latest EP, ‘This Is Earth’. Five songs and barely 10 minutes long, it’s a rumbling, dissonant assault of punk, post-punk and indie that is tumultuous and ragged but enjoyable all the same.

What Ghost of the Avalanche do well throughout This Is Earth’ is punctuate the low, rumbling noise with flashes of accessible melody. ‘City Heat’ for example is a throbbing, pulsating slab of post-punk noise, yet the ‘whoah-whoah’s and perky pacing suck you in and spit you out, turning a dirgy noise into something altogether more exciting.

And it’s a similar story throughout ‘This Is Earth’. It’s formulaic – noise rock meets playful post-punk – but it’s hugely contagious. Opener and lead single ‘Volcano’ is a stomping, raging monster of a track, armed with a killer chorus and plenty of hooks buried beneath the bluster.

This Is Earth – EP by GHOST OF THE AVALANCHE

‘Hold Your Fire’ is a blistering minute of straight up thrashy punk, unpretentious and direct but packed with passion, while ‘Guns’ is even more extreme – barely 40 seconds long yet recalls the nonconformist attitude of Future of the Left.

While I’m a big fan of EPs being short though, ‘This Is Earth’ has barely begun before it’s all over. By the time ‘Two Tribes’ – another muscular slice of post-punk – burns out, you feel like Ghost of the Avalanche are just warming up. Of course, this bodes well for a full-length, but it means ‘This Is Earth’ leaves you feeling somewhat unfilled.

Still, it’s nice to be able to listen to an entire collection of songs in the time it takes to make your lunch.

3.5/5

‘This is Earth’ EP by Ghost of the Avalanche is out now on Casseblank Records and Grebo Records.

Ghost of the Avalanche links: Facebook|Twitter|Bandcamp

Words by Rob Mair (@BobNightMair)