EP Review: The Brass – Mob Neutrality

Portland’s The Brass unleashed the “Mob Neutrality” EP at the tail end of last month, the release follows on from their 2015 debut EP “Armsreach“, a lot has changed in that timeframe and this is a release that pretty much reflects some of the changes that have occurred between the EP’s. Although The Brass have been quiet on the release front they haven’t been standing idle, live shows, line up changes and nailing their colours to the mast as part of the Punks Against Racism movement has kept them busy whilst the world slowly got darker.

The discordant blast of ‘Audience‘ creates an immediate impression, a hit of melodic hardcore that lovers of Propagandhi will adore, raw, gruff and from then heart. It probably shouldn’t come as any surprise that the this is a theme that carries though the “Mob Neutrality” EP’s seven tracks, technical elements are married with intense punk rock and an acute social and political awareness that drives the band. Every track is raw and gruff and driven by the situation the US finds itself in, there is no better example of this than ‘Post Election Day‘, a track that laments the the shift of power that eventually led to the election of Donald Trump.

The Brass have delivered a heartfelt EP of politically driven melodic hardcore, as the clock counts down towards the next US election it’s never been more important to have voices of opposition to the current regime and to effect change before it’s too late, the impact of another four years of Trump doesn’t bear thinking about. Every single one of the seven tracks on “Mob Neutrality” carries the fury that everyone should feel towards the current US incumbent. Like many acts their aim is to motivate those in the US, although this is a universal issue, to ensure they register to vote and use that vote before it’s too late

“Mob Neutrality” is available on CD and digital formats via Bandcamp here