Single Review: Gravves – Oh, The Joy EP

Emerging from the wilds of North Wales are Gravves, the trio are set to release their new six track EP, Oh, The Joy, via Loner Noise Records on the 27th April. The band occupy a unique space where punk fury meets alt-rock, where dark psychedelia collides with grunge and where truly infectious songs coexist with blasts of vicious feedback and catchy hooks, with the whole package being delivered with a cocksure swagger that guarantees that Gravves have an attitude problem.

 

Oh, The Joy opens with the incredible blast of noise that is Power Bomb Baby, a incredible burst of distorted energy that hits you a like a truck driven by Mudhoney, appropriately enough this is followed up by another dirty hit of noise in that form of Monster Truck that also runs straight over you. The unhinged This Is Bliss keeps the momentum going before Sinister Surfer brings the pace down, but it also carries a greater degree of menace, along with a bad trip borne of twisted psychedelia. Hello Sailor returns to immediate demented impact that the EP’s opening track brought and the most unhinged moment is saved for last, L Is For Loser is a vicious finale to what has been an intense and unsettling EP, and I mean that in a good way.

 

Gravves are an outfit that occupy a growing scene of bands that have taken punk and twisted it almost beyond recognition, if you’re a fan of the likes of The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster, Culture Abuse or Muskets then Gravves really need to be in your life, and turned up loud. Oh, The Joy is an EP that is designed to cause complaints from your neighbours and frighten your pets, its a dirty and unhinged riot of punk, psychedelia, grunge and garage that dwells in the bad part of town, it’s also one of the best releases I’ve encountered this year.

 

Oh, The Joy can be pre-ordered digitally via Bandcamp here