Source: EP Artwork
Leeds rockers Day Old Hate are about to release their new EP First Light on the 12th February.
The alt rock quintet has only been making music since 2012. They released their debut EP Distances in 2013, receiving much praise. Despite the band’s 2015 release of singles ‘Tides’ and ‘Living Without You’, this is Day Old Hate’s first release since 2013. But has it been worth the wait?
First Light is filled with punchy alt rock melodies and catchy riffs—‘Minutes, Hours, Days’ is especially catchy. The track has a steady, heavy drum-influenced melody and big striking guitar riffs, making it the perfect live track to get the audience jumping up and down.
Title track ‘First Light’ has a very bold melody, filled with chunky riffs and shit tonnes of energy. And according to guitarist Will Smith (what a baller name!) “[The track] captures everything we wanted to put across in the record…” – so energy, aggressive instruments and moody-alt-rock vibes is definitely a big thumbs up in Day Old Hate’s camp.
The slowest track on the EP ‘Don’t Chase Me’, has a more intimate, emotional vibe. The soft, unobtrusive use of instruments allows Oliver Swift’s smooth vocals to be emphasised. ‘Don’t Chase Me’ is pretty much as varied as the EP gets. ‘Secrets’ and ‘Fifteen’ although are good, are again moody-vibes and high energy.
Overall we think the EP is solid. It does have a very Young Guns, Mallory Knox kind of vibe, so fans of those bands will definitely enjoy it. We personally liked it, but definitely would have preferred to see more variety in the tracks—the same moody-alt-rock vibe gets a little old after a couple songs. Throw a bouncy Jimmy Eat World type track in the mix and you’re golden!
