Cold Summer - Wake EP

I thought I'd spend a few hours this weekend writing about some releases by UK bands, that I've had in my review pile for a little while now. Some old stuff and some new stuff. Not all fast, as I had previously stated on Facebook. I'm starting things off with a local band from Wakefield.

Cold Summer started in 2010 and play post-hardcore. They released their debut EP Wake in May 2012. Last year they played at Leeds Cockpit alongside Lemuria and Hearts & Sounds, while they've just completed their first UK tour as well, in support of their debut album. 2014 looking like it's gonna be busy!

Tracklist:-

1. Waiting
2. Wake
3. A Is For Arson
4. Car Crash (In Progress)
5. Mistakes

I remember when post-hardcore was the in things, thanks to bands like Funeral For A Friend getting coverage and inspiring a whole host of similar bands to rise through the ranks in the UK. Post-hardcore has never really gone away thankfully and Cold Summer are one of it’s latest protagonists, yet remaining staunchly DIY. They pepper their sound with a hard-rock vibe and mix clean with harsh vocals. Opener Waiting is a mid-paced song, that plays on the hard-rock influences of the band. The EP title track is a short fifty- second song filled with atmosphere and angst. The melodic guitar that backs up the screams reminds me of the current wave of screamo. 

After Wake comes and goes, A Is For Arson turns the pace up again. It reminds me a bit of Exit Ten and Gratitude at times, because it’s catchy and the loud/quiet dynamics in the middle of song, coupled with some great bass lines and gang vocals, give Wake some real momentum. One thing that strikes me about Cold Summer is that all of the songs on Wake sound subtly different, but with a constant running through in the form of the vocal textures, especially in Car Crash (In Progress). It’s really refreshing to hear a band playing post-hardcore that isn’t trying to copy today's “cool” bands and is instead doffing it’s cap to when the sub-genre was full of genuine quality and humility.

Mistakes is Cold Summer’s token acoustic song and is a bona fide radio friendly anthem. I know that these songs and indeed the EP is two years old now, but music transcends time, which Wake proves. For anyone who is unfamiliar with the band, this is a good starting place. It may have me a bit nostalgic for the bands that I used to listen to in my late teens, but it also stands alone well as an honest and well written EP from a band that is moving forward. Good stuff indeed.

Wake is available to stream and as a name-your-price download from Cold Summer's bandcamp page below:-




You can by band merch from their BigCartel store here - http://coldsummermusic.bigcartel.com/products

Cold Summer Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ColdSummeruk