Single Review – Bordertown Devils – Bordertown Devils EP

Arizona’sThe Bordertown Devils released their self titled debut EP towards the end of 2016, everything about this EP, from the band’s name and the sleeve art onwards, indicates that this is a band that intend to make an impression from the off. Once you delve into the Bordertown Devils EP you find that they deliver a pumped up crossbreed of punk and rock n’ roll that hits the spot on pretty much every track. The Bordertown Devils debut release is one that channels the spirit of some of the finest of the original punk bands from the USA, but at the same time it injects a dose of rock n’ roll swagger, and a hefty hit of adrenalin, that sits alongside their own style, and it’s this that keeps them sounding contemporary, rather than being just another band recreating the past.

Rot N’ Roll opens the Bordertown Devils EP, it’s a fast paced punk number that sits somewhere between The Ramones and Motorhead, it’s a fine feel good full tilt start to the EP that is followed up by Count Me Out, this track changes the style, but not the tempo, it recalls a high velocity Glenn Danzig era incarnation of The Misfits, Open keeps the relentless high octane pace of the EP running as does Hell Cell and finally Cash returns to a heady influence from The Misfits at full throttle. The Bordertown Devils EP is listed as a five track release, however there’s a hidden track lurking at the end of this release, and it’s not an afterthought, remix or demo, the unlisted track, Saturday Night, is a damn fine conclusion to an impressive debut, this is the only time the Bordertown Devils collective foot is taken off the accelerator, but it’s only a slight deceleration in what has been an exhilarating EP of up front aggressive punk rock.

The Bordertown Devils might sound like a band that is reviving the past, but that is not the case, this is a band that wear their influences like badges of honour, but they bring their own south western influence to bear across the half dozen tracks that populate the EP, and it’s this that stops them from being a band recreating a previous punk era. Had I heard this when it was released at the tail end of last year it would have been listed amongst my favourite releases from 2016, the Bordertown Devils play bare knuckle punk rock as it oughta be, they acknowledge the past and their influences, especially The Misfits, but they have delivered their debut EP in a style that is very much their own. The Bordertown Devils EP is available via all major download and streaming services and the physical CD is available via the Bordertown Devils website.

The Bordertown Devils website can be found here