The Shorts – Tango EP

  • Cole Faulkner posted
  • Reviews

The Shorts

Tango - Thousand Islands Records

Australian punk trio The Shorts play fast moving, speed conscious punk rock that packs a wallop.  The band knows how to land a punch without compromising their composure, maintaining a steady tempo while doing justice to the myriad of 90’s skate-punk bands they draw inspiration from.  With their latest EP, Tango, the Ballarat trio contributes to the growing body of work being produced by countrymen like The Decline, Local Resident Failure, and Part Time Killer, keeping the harder edge of SoCal punk alive down under.

The Shorts define themselves with a hard edge, playing quick landing punk-rock with attitude.  Opener “Sherlock” kicks off at a mid-tempo pace, featuring the methodical undulation of crunching riffs and boot stomping rhythm.  The track feels like a disclaimer that the band may be known for their melodic punk but doesn’t hesitate to emphasize the “rock” in punk rock.  The demeanor continues into songs like “The Drugs” which leverage these heavy elements with an additional layer of speed, not unlike that of Bad Religion’s hardest and fastest tunes.

Most typically though, the band plays to their melodic tendencies in songs like “Shady Ladies” and the title track.  The former takes little time to lay down a chorus of skate-punk drumming and vocal harmonies that draw clear inspiration from past greats like No Use For A Name.  “Tango” offers much the same, feeling akin to The Living End’s punkier side while managing to switch things up later in the track during a brief and stylized pause.  “Gerard Never Made It To Brim,” with an acoustic opening and country inspired riffage and meaty late song solos feels like something of its own breed, serving as the album’s most exciting and divergent moment.  It’s not exactly the type of song you would want to dominate the The Shorts’ musicianship, but it definitely makes for tactful variety even within the brief EP setting.

At just a few songs shy of a full length, Tango is a meaty EP that sets The Shorts up to make a splash in the present pool of punk rock.  The band fearlessly plays a tight and limited stock of punk rock tunes that feels both fresh and familiar in their inspiration.  As a few breakout tracks make clear, the band seems to be right on the cusp of infusing their own distinct personality at around every bend.  If Tango is any indication, by the time The Shorts release their eventual full length (they are an EP dominated band) they will be in full swing.  Until then, check out Tango for a taste of what’s to come.