“You Call This An Apocalypse?” is probably what went through the minds of every adrenaline junkie who looked at the current state of the world and hoped there would be a full-blown zombie apocalypse or dystopian scenario where we can scavenge and revert to our hunter-gatherer days. It is also the title of the latest EP from Minneapolis-based 3-piece band “The Very Bad Days”, which is a 6-track socio-political satire that flaunts the wit and abilities of the musicians behind it. Let’s see how this band created a sarcastic, yet musically tight record, out of the tragic events surrounding our world.
The first track Furthermore feels like an intro with some spoken statements. The spoken vocals reminded me of Megadeth’s popular hit Peace Sells…But Who’s buying, except in a 90s Ska-Punk context. It feels like I’m hearing those vocals from a megaphone informing me of the miserable status quo.
The second track When I Go Like This feels like a collaboration between Rage Against The Machine and Faith No More. Being the longest track on the album, it managed to refrain from being repetitive by changing key and transitioning into a nice guitar solo in its mid-section that blew me away. Mr Aric Bieganek is just flexing his wide range of guitar techniques on us at this point.
The third track Paint It Ugly feels less comical than the two previous offerings and feels like a social commentary article from an anti-governmental newspaper. Once again the ever-evolving basslines of Mr Brian Reed save this album’s melodies from being a monotonous and repetitive rock record that might have gone under the radar. At 5:05 this track made me feel a lot, even though a recurring line in the song was how the events around us these days make us “feel like nothing”.
The fourth track Uptown Town feels more on the southern/country rock anthemic side of things, and contrary to the rest of the record it’s sung in a very melodic and energetic way. I love how many influences these guys can bring without the record feeling crowded or too much.
The fifth track Inundation is the most different and distinct sounding track here, with immaculate control of soaring head-y mixed voice and a clobbering guitar solo in the middle of the song.
The sixth and final track Unhappy Kathy deals with the heavy subject matter of the famous performance Dolphin Kathy who took her own life by holding her breath until she died, and to go along with that the track has many transitions and changes of pace and tempo. I love how the vocals are solo-ed in the first two bars of the chorus as they give an extra sense of importance to the subject at hand. This amazing arrangement wouldn’t have been possible without the thunderous drumming provided by Mr Daniel Goodroad.
To sum it all up, “You Call This An Apocalypse?” has many points where it feels like a regular mid-tempo punk rock band straight from the 90s reminiscent of No doubt or Green Day, but it also has the heaviness and kick of heavier bands like The Offspring at other points. What sets the album apart is how prominent the bass guitar is, with its creative and catchy lines and how they are varied was very likeable on the spot. This is an album I will remember for a long time due to its comical and cheeky lyrics as well as the calibre of the experienced musicians behind it.
