Melonball – eup​•​nea CD EP (Lockjaw Records, Thousand Islands Records)

German melodic punk rockers Melonball released their album “Breathe” last year as a crown of their dedicated work and effort. Before their debut, the band also unleashed recordings such as “Sicker” EP in the same year, while in 2022, they published several excellent standalone singles like “Whatever,” “Sinking,” and “Fast Forward.” As you can see, Melonball keep their activities prolific as much as possible, and 2024 is no exception. Besides “Das ist alles von der Kunstfreiheit gedeckt,” an Antifa anthem released earlier this year, they released “Sinking” and “Rage,” new versions of the songs that previously ended up on “Breathe,” signifying the upcoming acoustic sessions EP called “eup​•​nea.”

This material carries five numbers, such as “Move Your Mind,” “Sinking,” “Whatever;” “Rage,” and “FastForward,” all previously available on the “Breathe” LP. However, Melonball adapted them for a much calmer, soothing, relaxing, ethereal ambiance, a quality that undoubtedly suits them. Therefore, if you’re into clean, polished, intimate acoustic sessions, this EP will be right up your alley. They adapted each segment of every song, ensuring everything works and sounds like a charm, and it’s good to hear these tracks in a much quieter form. Of course, Meloball figured out which tracks work best for these acoustic sessions, but they also needed to tweak arrangements so the track could sound this good.

The vocals shine here. You’ll immediately notice how the impressive vocal range navigates between low, mid, and notes, emphasizing everything the remainder of the band tried to achieve with these songs. As soon as you press play, you’ll realize that all the lead, back vocals, and singalongs are some of the heaviest weapons in their arsenal, and they use them expertly and wisely. The interplay between acoustic guitars serves as an adequate backdrop for all the vocal articulations to shine upon. You’ll hear how one side resonates with cleverly assembled chord progressions and riffs, while the other delivers all those catchy, magnificent themes, melodies, and harmonies. There are some additions of semi-distorted guitar leads, but if we exclude this detail, the entire material has been performed acoustically. 

Tracks like “Sinking,” “Whatever,” and “FastForward” are unquestionably standouts, but the entire material sounds superb, and you’ll solely enjoy these acoustic versions if you loved their debut album. You can purchase “eup​•​nea” on vinyl and CD via Lockjaw Records and Thousand Islands Records.