The Californian quartet burn briefly but brightly on their debut!
Put aside your preconceptions. Yes, Birdlegs may features AFI guitarist Jade Puget in their ranks, but his ‘day job’ band hasn’t sounded this frantic or fired up since at least their ‘Black Sails In The Sunset’ period. No, Birdlegs play adrenalised hardcore punk, packing nine tracks into less than fifteen minutes on this debut album.
They hit the ground running with ‘Emergence’ and ‘Clown’, replete with Eric Ozene’s enjoyably high-pitched vocals, and recalling the best of West Coast hardcore throughout the ages. ‘Devil’s Own Grip’, meanwhile, boasts a great alarm-like guitar line, and lead single ‘Mind In The Margins’ takes on the scourge of social media with all lyrical and musical guns blazing.
There’s a whole lotta Dead Kennedys to the likes of ‘The Twisted Screws Of Now’ and ‘Apricity’ and echoes of the Misfits in the haunting backing vocals of the closing title track. Hey, we’re not complaining on either count. It’s all served up raw as hell, and seems to fly by in no time, even for such a short album. Here’s hoping that Birdlegs aren’t simply relegated to ‘side project’ status; it would be a great shame considering the quality on display here.
- Emergence
- Clown
- Devils Own Grip
- Mind In The Margins
- Icebox
- The Twisted Screw Of Now
- Apricity
- The Unraveling
- Visions Beyond The Ape Cave
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