EP Review: Pop

This three-track EP is the latest release from Poneke-based quintet Pass The Peas, who describe their music as Wasabi spicy Rock n’ Roll, whatever that means. To my ears it means they play mid-paced alternative pop rock with a strong concentration on the gravelly and emotional vocals of Kurt with loads of space within the arrangements, which are well-produced. One of the songs contained here, Too Much Touch, recently got a 5* on MNNZ from Adrian Drew of Investigator, a songwriter I enjoy listening to immensely, but it just goes to show how it is possible to put two people in a room, have them listen to the same piece of music, and get three different opinions. 

All the songs follow the same format in that the concentration is on the vocals, with everyone else playing a supporting role, but to me they all stick in first gear with just a few incidents of moving into second, let alone going the whole hog and engaging the turbo boost. I kept expecting each song to lift and take us in a new direction with loads of energy, but it never materialised, with the result being that I had the impression that here was a band who play well together and provide solid well-constructed material yet there is little in the way of hooks to get me personally invested in what was going on. 

Given that one of the songs contained on the EP was given such a high rating by someone whose own songs I rate highly show that the issue in this case is likely to be more with the listener (i.e. me) than it is with the material itself. We all try to be objective with our opinions, but they are just that, opinions, and they will always be subjective no matter what we do. All I can say is that this is not something to which I will be rapidly returning, but the songs are performed well, the production and mastering is spot on, the vocals solid, and another listener may hear this with very different ears.