EP Review: CF98 – Dead Inside

Who are CF98 I here many of you saying, well they are four energetic Skate Punk fans from Poland, who have been making waves on the mainland European scene for a while now and were booked to play Manchester Punk Festival this year (sadly a casualty of the lockdown).  Having released their last EP ‘Rotten To The Core’ back in 2019 they have now thrown their all into the ‘Dead Inside’ EP which came out back May via Sound Speed Records, but only hit my ears earlier this month.

Opening the EP, the title track ‘Dead Inside’ feels a perfect way to slap you in the ear drums with CF98’s power sound, a slow to get going track, but once you get Karolina’s wonderfully powerful vocals slamming you to the floor with a top of the Richter scale impact, its not long before you realise this is gonna be no pop fest of an offering.  

Having songs that have a melodic core but still have enough edge to also be a draw to the hardcore fans, is a sound that will appeal across the punk spectrum, second song ‘Shine On’ personifies this so well, how they pack a sing a long chorus, a hardcore tempo and an uplifting lyric, into exactly 1 minute! is quite breathtakingly brilliant.  

Moving through the next couple of songs ‘Pink’ an ode to the wrongs of all the male domination that still exists around so much of the music industry, stereotypes that need to be banished by one and all!,  ‘Oh Boy’ which seems to have a message of unity against the deceivers that try to break our human bond (divide and conquer), both fill the room with pure passion and a wall of sound (when turned up to full volume of course).

Bringing us to ‘Gasoline’ which stands out, with its Bad Religion musical vibe all over it, but has the most emotional lyric on the EP, describing a break up, with all the anger and wanting to curl up in a safe place away from it all, sung with so much feeling by Karolina, this leads us nicely into the finale of ‘Never Quit’ a strong finish in so many ways, singing about mental health and how quitting is not an option “life makes you a fighter” strikes a chord that stays with you as the last note is played (as it should).

If you have never had the pleasure of catching or listening to CF98, and your a fan of punk in all its glory, then I suggest you do!

Both ‘Dead Inside’ and the ‘Rotten To The Core’ EP’s  will be available on vinyl soon.

Head over to SOUND SPEED RECORDS to buy and listen to CF98

Check out the bands Facebook HERE