Review → Off With Their Heads – Hospitals EP (2006)
Off With Their Heads - Hospitals EP
When one thinks of pop-punk, what comes to mind? It’s probably Ramones-like song structure, breakneck speed, whiny (possibly nasally) vocals, and songs about girls and the problems that the singer has with said girls. Either the one he’s got is no good, or (more likely) he can’t get one no matter how hard he tries. It’s like there’s a formula or something!
Off With Their Heads have come storming out of Minnesota saying “Fuck that shit, and fuck you too.”
These are four of the unhappiest lads ever to jump in a van and play a show. With song titles like “Die Today” and “Your Child is Dead,” clearly there’s a certain cold darkness to the material here. And the lyrics back it up; vocalist Ryan sings about suicide, drug addiction, sickness, being tormented by your peers, and death. Has he experienced all this? I’d like to think not, but I can’t imagine pulling this material off without the personal experience to back it up.
If the material is dark, depressing stuff, then the music is just about the polar opposite. They play a brand of pop-punk that is very reminiscent of fellow Minnesotans Dillinger Four; gruff, gritty, powerful, and immensely catchy. It’s hard not to get moving to tunes like “Theme Song,” “Die Today,” or really any of the EP’s eight songs. The band plays with energy and conviction; these guys know how to write one hell of a punk riff, even on the 20-second “Idiot.”
Off With Their Heads burst onto the scene with this, their first non-split 7″ outing, and it’s a brutal, catchy, even haunting sonic document. The music will get stuck in your head, prompting you to listen repeatedly… and then the words become clearer. This reaction is a bit extreme. But maybe not by much. At any rate, this is a fantastic debut from a band who just continues to get better.
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