Album Review: No Marks/Spoilers Split

Cardiff based Brassneck Records have just released a new split EP from punk bands The No Marks and Spoilers. It features five brand new tracks, three from The No Marks and two from Spoilers, and both bands put out impressive releases last year so I was expecting big things from this release.

The No Marks get the first half of the split underway with a song named Spirit. Playing melodic punk rock with some raspy vocals they manage to grab your attention immediately with big hooks and catchy lyrics. The chorus of "My Spirit Is Broken" will get stuck in your head instantly and you'll find yourself singing along straight away. Guilt Control As A Mechanism is the title of The No Marks second track on the split. This track starts with a fast tempo and doesn't relent throughout its duration. Musically it rocks so hard, making it difficult to remain still whilst listening. The singer’s raspy vocals do a fantastic job with the melody of the song and give it a fresh feeling. The final No Marks song is a thirty-nine second track titled Get Out. This short little song is a full on punk rock shouter and feels like somewhat of a bonus track rather than a fully fledged song.

The first song on Canterbury based Spoilers’ side of the split is called The Same Again. Frontman Dan Goatham's distinctive vocals come to the fore almost immediately. His vocals are a big reason that I really dig Spoilers; there's an everyman quality to them that make you think you could just as easily do what he's doing. As with all Spoilers songs it's superbly catchy and tells a great story - this one is about not being able to always relive the past and sometimes needing to talk about something else. The song also features Lee from Snuff on keys. Spoilers’ other song on the split is called Lost Your Way. This song starts with much more of a frantic skate punk sound with Dan's wonderful vocals giving the feeling of lightness. By which I mean the vocal stops the song venturing too far into the world of hard punk rock. At just one minute and twenty-three seconds long the song feels a bit short, almost like it's missing a verse or a chorus. Perhaps I'm just being greedy and wanting more Spoilers though.

Stream and download the split here: https://brassneckrecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-no-marks-spoilers-split-7

Like The No Marks here: https://www.facebook.com/thenomarks1

Like Spoilers here: https://www.facebook.com/spoilersuk