Last May Fake Names released their debut album. It was brilliant. You could argue that it should have been, given that Brian Baker (Bad Religion, Minor Threat), and Michael Hampton (S.O.A.) and Dennis Lyxzén of Refused are three of the four of them, but it didn’t have to be that good.
And, just when you thought they couldn’t get any better, then – out of nowhere – they stuck an EP out with no fanfare. As Baker put it himself: “I love the EP format, so many of my favourite bands growing up (Damned, Clash, Black Flag to name a few) issued EPs between albums, and they were always special to me.”
Anyone who has even had the most cursory read of one of my reviews can substitute the names above with “Silver Sun”, “The Wildhearts” and “The Almighty” (to name a few) and get the same vibe.
The standalone EP needs to have mighty songs, not demos and alternate takes, but proper, specially recorded, fresh material. And you best believe me when I tell you that the boys in Fake Names get this, and how.
If you loved the last one, then you’ll love this too. If you have no idea what I am talking about, then the late 90s punk-ish chug of “It Will Take A Lifetime” might help you – and there’s a touch not just of Jimmy Eat World and the likes, but proper rock n roll, right from the backstreets.
“Running” ramps up the punk just a bit more. That “So Cal” sound, those distinctive guitar lines and the fact that Lyxzén finds a much sweeter melody than you might imagine, all add up to a fabulous song.
This is an EP that starts off with a bang and ends with an explosion, as it were. It just gets better and better, before the insanely catchy “Cuts You Down” delivers its sugary sweet tune wrapped up in a knuckle-duster.
Fake Names are what happens when music fans make the music they love for others to enjoy. They are already one of the best bands of their type around – and who knows, they might tell us who plays the drums next time.
Rating 9/10
