Given the imprint Ecca Vandal has had on the Melbourne music scene over the past 12 months, it’s almost hard to believe that this is her debut EP. The girl’s got swagger and has the ability to get in your face and into your head with her music.
End of Time gives you a healthy taste of herhigh energy, unapologetic style. The attention grabbing first track, Running at People Exiting, is a grungy punk explosion of raw energy. As a listener, it hits like a dose of aural steroids to get you pumped up. The title track is less in your face, but boy is it catchy. The chorus is like a baited line that hooks you like a hungry flounder.
The subject matter is sometimes dark and quite personal, particularly on End of Time and Divided. But rather than commiserate, Vandal smashes straight into it. There is no convoluted crap here. She’s a completely up front, no bullshit artist, and it’s quite refreshing to hear. Her music is a mishmash of styles, but there’s a big element of ’90s nostalgia that comes to the fore courtesy of brash, distorted guitar riffs. Battle Royal rightfully received a lot of airplay last year, and rounds out the five track EP nicely.
Ecca Vandal’s talent for producing catchy hooks means you can’t listen to this EP without feeling compelled to sneak in a few more rotations throughout the day. More than that, she’s bringing some serious attitude and character to the music scene. It’s hard to believe she has only been on the radar for such a short period of time. Don’t hesitate to jump on the bandwagon.
BY EBEN ROJTER
