With a recent name change, label signing and resurgence of drive, Home Movies have put together a 5 track snapshot of the frustrations of juggling band life with the ever-consuming issues of feelings. An area which many will be familiar and one which is often a focal point of themes within the alt/pop punk scene, the question is, have these LA based punks delivered in a way which will see them soar?

‘Hell’ springs into life in the form of a title track that brings together arm-swinging riffs with crystal clear honesty before ‘Faith And Folly’ screeches with pent-up rage and deep-set sadness. At times throughout this EP the band sound like battered and broken men, while at others they come off confidently reassuring and brimming with assertiveness. In a scene that continues to expand and bloat with new bands trying their hand at the emotion game, Home Movies hold something more exciting and engrossing than many of their peers. Rather than sticking to one style of feeling blue, they delve into high intensity pop punk, the bleak slack of alt rock and even throw in some classically teary eyed emo for good measure. The campfire sadness of ‘The Winds’ helps everything to slow and mature for two minutes before closer ‘Fickle’ blasts away the cobwebs with hurtling drums, finger-pointing resilience and infectious hooks. It doesn’t stick around for long, but the lasting effects and lingering poignancy of ‘Hell’ more than makes up for its blink-and-miss-it running time.

Home Movies play with a level of intensity, buzz and pulsing honesty that many bands struggle to reach across their whole career. ‘Hell’ is the result of five minds pushed to oblivion that came out the other end stronger, yet still angry and with a voice that wants to be heard. Combining the depth of alt rock with the aggravated bounce of pop punk so smoothly and effortlessly puts Home Movies in a position of authority which, if all is well, should see them flourish and bloom even more as the year ticks on.

3.5/5

‘Hell’ by Home Movies is out now on Animal Style Records.

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Words by Jack Rogers (@JackMRog)