Single Review: The Capital – This Place Matters EP

Rewind to 2012 and you would find a third of the members of The Capital playing with the Preston, UK based melodic punk outfit Failsafe, an outfit that was in the ascendency until New Years Day, 2015 when the band woke to the devastating news that their guitarist and dearest friend, Matthew Cogley, had suddenly passed away. The band were brought back together by their love of Matt and under a united banner of grief, the members of Failsafe began to put into place a new project that would seek to honour the memory of their friend by teaming up with mental health charities We Are Hummingbird and CALM and various fundraising events to raise money in his name.

The Capital‘s sophomore EP, This Place Matters, follows in the wake of the debut EP, Hummingbird, and it kicks of with Trouble, a track that owes more to Foo Fighters, The Gaslight Anthem and Pearl Jam than it does to their punk roots. Harbour In A Storm builds on the anthemic feel of the opening track before Rise Above It All reminds you of their punk rock pedigree with the liveliest moment on their sophomore release. The EP’s title track and the closing number, Only Human, sees a return to the polished emotional alt rock that has dominated the This Place Matters EP

This Place Matters solidifies The Capitals shift away from the origins, this is a solid five track EP that takes it cue from mainstream alt rock and sees the punk intensity of their previous incarnation restrained and channelled, the result is an EP that confirms The Capital are forming their own identity and moving away from their former incarnation. The Capital have managed to return from the tragic events of three years ago and they appear to once more be enjoying making music, the shift in direction won’t be to everyone’s taste but This Place Matters is an EP that will find them reaching a wider audience.

This Place Matters will be released on Saturday 23rd June 2018 through BadHorror Recordings and will be available through iTunes, Spotify, Amazon and all other good digital outlets.