EP Review: Saturday’s Heroes – Turn The Music Up!

Swedish punk veterans Saturday’s Heroes are back with the seven track “Turn Up The Music!” EP, their first physical release since their 2017 full length “Pineroad”, that will be released on Lövely Records on September 4th on digital and vinyl formats. “Turn Up The Music!” is a collection of seven digital singles that were recorded live in the studio in the wake of the release of “Pineroad“, the tracks are seven stories that catalogue their experiences on the road touring in support of their last album. This is my first encounter with Saturday’s Heroes and, as I’m only human, I made assumptions based on the name and artwork, mine was that this would be be influenced by British street punks The Business, especially given that ‘Saturday’s Heroes‘ is one of the best known songs, if that was your first thought then this is not the album you are looking for.

The “Turn Up The Music!” EP kicks off with ‘We’re All Done‘, a track that comes across as the best song the Bouncing Souls never wrote with it’s infectious riffs and impassioned vocals, this is a recurring style that follows through on ‘I Will Be Right There‘ and ‘This Is The End‘, but Saturday’s Heroes are no one trick pony. There are harder edged moments such as ‘Dead Of Night‘  and ‘Black Clouds‘ that channel their darker side and recall the fury of early Dropkick Murphys, these are offset against the almost pop punk vibe of ‘Seven Seas‘ and the EP’s triumphant closing title track. “Turn Up The Music!” is East Coast influenced punk rock that lifts your spirits, given that it’s 2020 this is exactly what we all need from time to time. Saturday’s Heroes have released a damn fine collection of singles and if you aren’t familiar with them then this is a good place to start, it’s also a timely reminder to never judge a band based solely on your first impression.

“Turn Up The Music!” can be purchased and streamed via Lövely Records here