Hook – S/T EP CS (Shield Recordings)

I received an email about a month ago from a band called Hook. After the brief introduction, I learned they’re coming from Finland and that they recently released their debut cassette EP. Of course, I immediately accepted their request for an album review because there are no bad-sounding Finnish punk rock bands. When the tape arrived at our headquarters, I also learned that my friend Jussi Salminen (Teresa Banks, Fast Decade Records) recorded their material at Fruit Bomb Media. Therefore, I was more than positively sure this tape sounded good. The cassette comes along with a flawlessly done artwork of a giant hook-handed frog laser beaming a skeleton, so what’s not to love here?

Hook included five excellent compositions on their debut cassette that will unquestionably appeal to those into mid to late nineties mid-tempo melodic punk rock. However, that’s not the only subgenre of punk rock these guys are into, and as it usually is, there’s more than meets the eye in the first place. You’ll notice how pop-punk, power pop, emo, indie, and other similar music genres inspired Hook to write and compose these ear-appealing numbers. Each element play a significant role in shaping their sound, and you’ll hear how they intervene throughout the song, but the melodic punk rock remains a primary sound direction from scratch to finish. Hook established their sound right from the start and kept at the same pace without losing confidence, consistency, and power.

These guys solely rely upon classic sonic maneuvers, so if you’re into nostalgic sounds, this cassette EP will be right up your alley. The entire band bursts with tremendous amounts of energy by delivering catchy chord progressions, riffs, melodies, vividly hearable basslines, and dynamic rhythmic sequences. You’ll also love the harmonious background vocals, singalongs, and lead singing parts. Hook especially paid attention to those details because each song is anthemic and almost instantly gets under your skin. The band cleverly packed these songs with everything you adore about melodic punk rock, so there’s no doubt you’ll fall in love with their music in a matter of seconds. You can grab a tape directly from the band or via Shield Recordings. Don’t miss this one!