An Uneasy Peace - An Uneasy Peace 7"

Labels: Dirt Cult Records

Formats: Vinyl/Digital

Release Date: 01 May 2020

Tracklist:

1. Speaking In Tongues

2. Huey P. Newton Was A Poet

3. Fighting Sleep

4. A Thousand Pretty Mannequins

This review feels hard to write on two levels. One because it's dedicated to a member of An Uneasy Peace who sadly passed away before this EP was released and two because pressing of the physical record was halted, due to the Covid shutdown in the USA, meaning that only a portion of copies got pressed before things went crazy. I guess on the other hand this typifies the punk spirit. This US punk/hardcore release, limited to 300 copies, is the first release to come from the band. It may be their last as well, but I don't want to say for sure. 

It still feels incredibly poignant listening to a release like this, even if you didn’t know a great deal about the band’s members or the backstory that goes along with it. The words on the Dirt Cult bandcamp page say enough. An Uneasy Peace played a fast yet melodic form of hardcore-punk. It’s certainly along the lines of the hardcore-punk that Dirt Cult takes pride in preserving and releasing. ‘Speaking In Tongues’ goes by very fast and gives you such a good feeling. It makes me long for local punk gigs again, oh how I miss them.

‘Huey P. Newton Was A Poet’ is more melancholic and is influenced by post-punk in it’s tempos and general demeanour. There’s also a subtle amount of snottiness in the vox that reminds you of the band’s hardcore roots. It’s over very quickly but nothing good lasts long does it.

As with every good punk song, ‘Fighting Sleep’ begins with screeching feedback and morphs into an epic old-school hardcore song, where breakdowns (in the modern sense) don’t exist and the lyrics are audible. Again, it’s not one that sticks around but it is memorable. 

EP closer ‘A Thousand Pretty Mannequins’ is an ode to anarcho punk, or at least that’s how it seems. Along with the rest of the EP, it has a timeless quality about it that fills you with energy and empathy. Times are tough right now and people all over the world are struggling to get by. Bands like An Uneasy Peace remind you of life’s fragility and why you need to be the best person you can be to those around you.

You can stream and purchase the EP digitally below:-

You can order a copy of the physical vinyl record here - https://dirt-cult-records.myshopify.com.

Updates on pressing and shipping of the remaining copies of the EP can be found via the link below, as they're released:-

Dirt Cult Records - https://www.facebook.com/dirtcultrecords/