No One Is Innocent is the debut EP from North Walian folk-punk outfit Red Or Dead, and it’s a very charged and driven release that will definitely wind up stuck in your head after a few listens!
Despite this only being the band’s first release, it’s a very coherent and ‘together’ EP that showcases a strongly united band and it sounds like they’ve been playing together for a lot longer than a mere year. The songwriting is great, and so is the musicianship – which is definitely a recipe for success.
No One Is Innocent features four songs, and opener Never Again gets things off to a great start and will get your foot tapping as things get underway and the chorus is a mighty earworm that will definitely get stuck in your head almost straight away! Unfortunately, the EP dips a little after this one with Watch It Burn, which is perhaps the weakest song of the release – there’s no real catchy hooks in this one and doesn’t really stay with you after it comes to a close. The track isn’t terrible, but there’s nothing about it that really stands out about it.
However the track that follows, Fall Down is a stunning piece of work that definitely picks things up nicely. The purely folky approach, coupled with the beautiful vocals of both Gala and Rob will give you goosebumps. It’s a beautifully memorable track, and one you’ll surely find yourself humming along to after the EP has come to a close with the final track No One Is Innocent. Also serving as the title track, there’s a bit more bite and energy to this one than the others and it’s a wonderfully energetic close to an all-round great release.
All in all, Red Or Dead have already showed us what they’re made of with No One Is Innocent – and if their debut release is already this good, who knows what sort of treats could be in-store when it comes to a full-length album from them?
8/10
