EARLS. The punk double-act formed in Leicester have released their highly sought after debut album, “Cardboard Palace” today. Their recent signing to Earwig Records has enabled them to tackle bigger and better challenges and they’re ready to show the world what they’re been working on for the past three years of their career.
Having only formed in 2015, Anthony Lamb (vocals and guitar) and George Prosser (drums) have come an extremely long way in such a small amount of time. They spent their early years building a following around the city playing regular shows, this lead to the release of their single “We Are Skum” last year. The duo has since recorded and released their first album, which has already found success amongst their die-hard fans. We’re here to give our opinion on “Cardboard Palace” and talk about our favourite tracks from EARLS.
The album is absolutely huge. There is no doubt that the pair have poured every single ounce of effort, creativity and dedication they had into this 12-track record. It’s such a perfect first major release for any band and I’m more than positive it will get EARLS the attention that they deserve. Some of our favourite tracks include;
“I’m A Man”
The wall of music that hits you in the first couple of seconds is empowering. The lyrics give the middle finger to social norms against men, the aggressive nature of this track makes it perfect for saying “f*** you” to society, this by far makes it one of the strongest on the album. The fact that it’s used as an opener for the whole record makes you wonder what other brilliant things you can expect later on.
“Entitled”
The hard-hitting themes of this track along with some intense and heavy riffs make it to our list of best on the record. “I wasn’t born with a trust fund”, “I wasn’t born with a silver spoon” are examples of lyrics in this song that matter most. It says what we all want to say about kids living off the bank of Mum and Dad, and represents those who are low income, hard working and “skum”, as EARLS describe.
“Kleptomaniac”
Prosser’s he drums are the driving force of this track, it’s a lovely switch up from it’s predecessors – however this isn’t to be taken as being one of the less powerful tracks on the record. Lamb’s heafty guitar tone doesn’t skimp and sounds just as massive as before. The vocals are raw, grimy and unkempt – making them a perfect match for the “skummy” attitude EARLS are trying to put across.
“I Can’t Move”
This beautiful and passionate track is a wonderful display of what EARLS can do other their infamous screams and dirty riffs. It shows versatility and skill in other styles, and it’s really positive that the pair are talented in multiple aspects. Lamb’s vocals are so revealing and emotive. This is a beautiful song and has our vote for being the best track on the entire album.
Other tracks amongst the four we have highlighted include; “We Are Skum”, “Coming Up”, “House Party”, “Anger Management”, “The Boys (Are Alright)”, “The Weekend”, “The End Is Nigh” and “Skum King”. All of which are energetic, aggressive and powerful. Each and every track on this record is an extremely well-written piece of art, and we can’t fault it.
If you want to see what the hype is all about, we don’t blame you! Catch EARLS down at The Cookie on 16th March for their album launch show. You don’t want to miss their most talked about live show yet.
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