instruments on the EP. Song after song, the guitarists churn out riff after riff to the point where your brain begins turning to mush. The opener, “But Does It Work?” hits with an unexpected amount of power before turning into a narrative of sorts. The chorus features predictable distorted guitar chords with screaming vocals. It’s a solid track, but it fails to grab my attention. It’s nothing new compared to the gritty punk rock that emerged decades ago.

 

Next is “Ghost Dad.” The track is essentially a song from the alternative punk uprising that began in the 1990s. It’s fast, loud, and straight to the point, and pretty nostalgic for those old enough to have experienced that era of music. There’s something about that type of music that can give you a trip down memory lane, even if the subject matter of the song isn’t as positive. The song’s only downfall is that it sinks too deep into that large sea of music from the past. There’s nothing necessarily wrong with that, but I feel like it’s not enough to bring in new listeners.

 

“Work Shy,” on the other hand, was more of what I wanted to hear. It starts off with an oddly mesmerizing intro that combines with timed bursts of energy to create an excellent buildup. The whole track flows well from section to section, giving it the dynamic it needs to really grab ahold of someone and hold their attention. There are times, though, when the vocals seem to strain to find their place in the song, as they are often overpowered by the other instruments. Regardless of this minor flaw, “Work Shy” is still the aggressive hardcore punk track I was hoping to hear from Drug Church, and in my opinion it’s the best song on the EP.

 

Even though there were a few shining moments on this EP, there’s still room for improvement. All of the hardcore punks out there could get all they want out of Swell, but that seems to be the extent of it. The EP is missing that one hard-to-reach, yet crucial element in the music: uniqueness. Drug Church need to break away from the rest of the pack and reveal themselves to the world. They’ve already laid the foundations for what could be their launching pad, so now it’s just a matter of pushing forward until they break the atmosphere.

 

According to alternative punk band Drug Church’s Facebook profile, their music is “the sound garbage makes when thrown off a roof into the dumpster your dickhead boss rented for your underpaying contractor gig. Come back in a few weeks and steal the copper piping because there’s no other benefit to the job and you’re probably getting sick from asbestos, so to hell with it.” That’s one hell of a way to explain your band, so naturally I had to jump right in to see if there was any truth to this strangely unique description.

 

As I was listening to their new EP, Swell, it became apparent that the guitars were the most prominent