If noisy in-your-face music is your sort of thing, you certainly can’t go wrong with South Walian rock-n-roll punksters En Garde, who are currently getting ready to release their debut album Weekenders.
Half an hour of ten hard-hitting and punchy tracks, the album is packed with energy from start to finish and it makes for an engaging listen, to say the least. En Garde grab you by the shoulders and drag you into the music before you can say otherwise – and don’t let go of you until the closing chords of the final track ring out. With bellowed vocals, screeching guitars, and an aggressive rhythm section to go along with them, En Garde have got the format just right.
Opener Idols gets things off to an almighty start, and En Garde progresses well from there, with highlights including Rats, which is a track that will surely be stuck in your head before you know any different, and Barstool Politics, which the band released a video for last year, is a memorable number that sounds like it’s been tailor-made for a live environment.
The only thing that can really be faulted with Weekenders is that all the tracks follow the same format and there isn’t much variety from song to song. There’s no denying that En Garde have created a monster with Weekenders, but it would certainly be good to see them push themselves a little further with their future releases. However, as a whole, En Garde have certainly crafted something to be proud of.
8/10
