EP Review: Delinquents – Sober On Sunday

Three-quarters of this four track EP is classic punk with an almost tangible Celtic flavour that is hard to pin down. Maybe it is the songs about drinking, maybe it is a loose musical kinship with Stiff Little Fingers, who I could easily imagine covering this record’s Three Sheets To The Wind. Maybe it’s just a kind of Scottish magic let loose by the mystical effect of the bottle. Dundee’s Delinquents cram an extraordinary range of musical adventure into just four tracks. Title track Sober On Sunday is a superfuzzed out Exploited-style riff attack with a disarmingly Mark E Smith-sounding vocal that sounds, if the title is to be believed, that it was perhaps recorded on a Saturday. No Disguise is a paradox: musically it is a joyous chant-along punk anthem, uplifting and affirming; lyrically it is an introspective essay on self-analysis and examination. The emotional tops are off, there’s raw emotion in plain view. It is, however, the final track Sinners that is this EP’s crowning glory, being a simple and very effective acoustic guitar and piano ballad, confessional and touching.

In all of these songs there is a thread of openness that is not sickly or sentimental and it is a testament to the quality of the writing that this thread is not lost or diluted in the changes of musical style and gear across the EP. A hearty peppering of earthy language adds authenticity. Sober On Sunday reveals and showcases a considerable talent and songcraft that transcends the genre. But that’s the beauty of punk. It facilitates this kind of fragile honesty and provides the energy to deliver it. Delinquents know themselves and are happy to put themselves out there. No frills, no unnecessary complexity, just excellent and affecting songs injected directly into your punk heart.