Monster’s Jaw has crashed on to the garage/grunge/punk scene in a flurry of sombre vocals and head nodding guitar solos with their debut EP ‘Get a Tattoo.’ Hailing from the gritty backdrop of the North this trio of lads have toured with the likes of Stiff Little Fingers, as well as roping in Wes Maebe (The Libertines) to help master this three track EP.
Title track Get a Tattoo opens on a stereotypical grungy tone. Heavy guitar riffs leading into a hi-hat dominated tune. Lead singer Mik Davis shows off his vocals, however his voice sounds similar to that of Jake Bugg which strangely poses the perfect range and pitch for the whiny tone needed. Unfortunately the track does get extremely repetitive with the line ‘I got a tattoo’ being repeated at least 20 times before the song is up. Personally, I found myself skipping the track three quarters of the way in as it held no anticipation and was very much the same sound that a lot of grunge bands are releasing nowadays.
I had high hopes for second track Summer Girl as the title suggested it would be a little more upbeat and maybe a bit more exciting. It did not disappoint. With faster lyrics, a better chorus and an upbeat tempo, it was a perfect summer anthem (of course, only if you’re into gloomy vocals and hefty guitar riffs.) Last song We Don’t Care About Anything opens with a riff not too different from Blink 182’s All The Small Things. However, it is a perfect rebellion anthem, one that would set the crowd off at a concert with fists flailing and feet stamping along to the marching beat. It’s certainly a crowd pleaser.
For a first time EP this is certainly a very good effort. I was worried after the repetitiveness and boring nature of the first song that this album would be a flop. But Monster Jaw redeemed themselves with the final two tracks making this an excellent grunge album worthy of a round of applause for a first attempt.
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