End Of Pipe – Keep Running

For their second EP, Brazilian punk rockers End Of Pipe aim to satisfy listeners hungry for good old, guitar heavy punk rock.  Played in much the same vein of late career Millencolin, Keep Running adheres to melody while playing at a casual mid-tempo pace.  It’s not so much the nostalgic skate punk of the 90’s, but rather what much of the old guard transformed into in their evolution upon the new millennium.  The resulting EP offers listeners something with a little bit of bite.

In that regard, opener “Fall” sets the six-song EP’s sturdy tone.  “Are you ready for the fall?” questions vocalists Uirá Medeiros or Pedro Marques in the midst of a melodic and highly repetitious chorus that eventually gives way to a landslide of an outro.  The worst that can be said is that the song’s four-minute length makes for the chorus overshadowing the otherwise less memorable but no less energetic verse.  Much the same can be said about follow-up “Pollution,” in that even with plenty of ambitious riffs propelling the track early on, Medeiros doesn’t take advantage of any words of wisdom or spikes of personality outside of the chorus line.  That being said, most listeners will likely forgive End Of Pipe as they rock out to the myriad of catchy guitars and rippling bass seamlessly lacing together the catchiest segments of tracks like “Rain (feat. Koala).”

But Keep Running’s key strength also doubles as its key weakness.  The band gravitates to what it knows and loves, in effect making for a consistent listen that finds the band revealing all of their cards by about the mid-way mark.  When “Jack” kicks off the second half, a certain been-there-done-that feel defines the album.  “Slow Trip” and “Keep Running” attempts a reduced tempo and tries out some choral “woahs,” but the general feel remains unchanged, even if Medeiros’ vocals begin to reveal some likeness to Samiam.

End Of Pipe presents a compelling, albeit flawed, case for fans of good old punk rock to get back to the basics with Keep Running.  With no shortage of energy, the Brazilian trio gives listeners six steady and aggressive doses of melodic punk rock.  Looking forward to their eventual full length though, the band will need to tighten their hooks – in particularly verses – to maintain their audience for a full ten songs (shortening song lengths wouldn’t hurt either).  In the mean time, End Of Pipe’s brand of punk rock best fits their current EP format.