The Rills unleash their debut EP
New music Friday has rolled around again and this week we have a debut record from Lincoln hailing band The Rills. The charming trio have had a notable rise to fame on TikTok, they have racked up an impressive 130 thousand followers on the platform and they proclaim “Right now, TikTok is as punk as it gets!”. The indie rockers have had frequent support from the likes of the NME and Radio 1 and with a brief listen it isn’t difficult to see why.
The EP opens with the racing ‘Skint Eastwood’. The track is a punk infused offering showcasing punchy lyrics about small town life to the sound of thrashing guitars and aggressive drums. The highlight of the track is easily the breakdown towards the end, everything quiets down as the bassline and guitar take focus before some gentle vocals come in and the drums pick up the pace building up to a glorious climax.
Next the trio take aim at politicians in ‘World Leader’. The fiery track begins with banging drums which keep the pace from start to finish. Melodic, catchy and lyrically ironic it contains far more substance than previous releases; a refreshing change from the usual pyro and stardawg references.
The infectious ‘This Is Hell’ maintains the energetic pace and lyrically tackles the subject of a volatile relationship before title track ‘Do It Differently’ proves to be an excellent example of the groups signature punchy and skilful indie rock. The band explain that the track is written about “acknowledging your uniqueness and using it to push against a world that tries to pigeonhole you”. Plus, it features that nice little riff that will be stuck in your head all day long. An instant punchy indie singalong if I’ve ever heard one.
The EP ends on a bittersweet note with post-punk ‘Never Around’. Perhaps the most meaningful track on the record, it offers a reflective look back at a working-class childhood as the lyrics paint a picture of ‘broom cupboard’ bedrooms and ‘taped up’ windows with no double glazing. The piano adds extra depth and meaning to the track, it’s not difficult to imagine hearing this this towards the end one of their live sets, arm in arm with your mates singing “back then you were never around”.
Overall, the EP is a strong 5-track debut which embodies The Rills punk infused indie sound. Wearing their influences on their sleeves, most notably The Libertines and Arctic Monkeys, the group have delivered a gripping listen from start to finish that leaves the listener wanting more. It is evident the The Rills have evolved with the subject matter of the EP being much more mature than pervious single releases whilst still maintaining their signature brand of fun sounding tongue-in-cheek song writing.