It was only last year that Lip Filler burst onto the scene, releasing their self-titled debut EP, but the London five-piece don’t mess around. Witchescrew is a follow up that also wastes little time to get all up in your face. Not only highlighting a great work ethic, it also highlights the band’s determination to show off an improvement on all fronts: production, energy, BALLS.
Having dipped their toes into the production waters for their debut, they opt to kick off with a cannonball on ‘CARLING’. The EP’s opener and latest single is an immediate flurry of noise – with room-filling synths that sound straight out of The Prodigy’s playbook and combined with vicious drums, create a punishing intro. It really is an explosion of sound. Sounding way better than the lager tastes.
‘Its not deep’ plays with more of this frenetic energy. Guitars and synths collide once again in an effort to combat against the free-flowing rhythm that provides you with no option but to bounce around. The vocals lead the way in the most scattered approach possible, disappearing as soon as they come into frame.
‘Ashtray’ follows with a stop-start instrumental and vocal loops that bleeds some psychedelic haze into the mix. Its stripped-down setting shows that Lip Filler can still create something engaging that doesn’t have as much volume as the other tracks on witchescrew. This is explored further on ‘followup’, offering a melodic listen that slows the tempo way down. It’s still in-your-face and ballsy, but others a more emotive sound that stands out from the EP and is good to sink your teeth into.
Witchescrew is an EP that doesn’t stick around but definitely leaves a mark. Lip Filler build on a solid foundation to deliver something that constantly pushes the boundaries. Often bringing fury and fire to the ears alongside some proper catchy moments too. It is a riot of a listen, and I’m interested to see how much farther Lip Filler go with this sound in future releases.