Dork
  • Music News
    • Latest News
    • Album Release Schedule
  • Features
    • Features & Interviews
    • Artist Guides
    • In Photos
  • New Music
    • Hype
    • Hype News
    • Hype Features & Interviews
    • Hype Reviews
  • Playlists
    • Playlists
    • Dork Playlist
    • The Cut
    • Hype
      • Cover Story
      • Hype Playlist
  • Reviews
    • Album & EP Reviews
    • Live Reviews
  • Radio
    • Home
    • Shows
      • Down With Boring
    • Playlist
    • Listen Again
    • Podcast
      • Apple Podcasts
      • Spotify
      • Google Podcasts
      • Stitcher
      • aCast
      • TuneIn
  • Magazine
    • Latest Issue
    • Back Issues
    • Print Subscriptions
    • Print + Digital Subscriptions
  • Shop
  • Supporters
    • Support Dork
    • Supporter Only Content
    • Digital Library
HTML5 RADIO PLAYER PLUGIN WITH REAL VISUALIZER powered by Sodah Webdesign Dexheim
Dork
  • Music News
    • Latest News
    • Album Release Schedule
  • Features
    • Features & Interviews
    • Artist Guides
    • In Photos
  • New Music
    • Hype
    • Hype News
    • Hype Features & Interviews
    • Hype Reviews
  • Playlists
    • Playlists
    • Dork Playlist
    • The Cut
    • Hype
      • Cover Story
      • Hype Playlist
  • Reviews
    • Album & EP Reviews
    • Live Reviews
  • Radio
    • Home
    • Shows
      • Down With Boring
    • Playlist
    • Listen Again
    • Podcast
      • Apple Podcasts
      • Spotify
      • Google Podcasts
      • Stitcher
      • aCast
      • TuneIn
  • Magazine
    • Latest Issue
    • Back Issues
    • Print Subscriptions
    • Print + Digital Subscriptions
  • Shop
  • Supporters
    • Support Dork
    • Supporter Only Content
    • Digital Library
  • Album & EP Reviews

Salem – Salem II EP

  • Steven Loftin
  • May 12, 2021

Label: Roadrunner Records
Released: 7th May 2021


Returning after last year’s self-titled debut EP, goth-punk duo Salem are ready to welcome the world even deeper into their creation. Still mostly following in the footsteps of Will Creeper’s home base in consistently taking things to the next level, this second dose is quite simply no holds barred fun.

A frantic and pulses-racing burst of exuberance, it’s all great but the first single was called ‘DRACULADS’ – five stars just for that, please. Not to mention the completely submerging, fists-flailing punk-rock running towards the future, armed with a nostalgic twinkle in its eye and a heart in the past. 

The opening ooh-wah-ooh’s of ‘William, It Was Really Something’ (that title sounds oddly familiar) immediately lathering on a thick helping of melodic goodness before the pace hits breakneck speeds. The melodrama of ‘DRACULADS’ leans into Will Creeper’s penchant for the smirking macabre. As does everything else, actually.

‘Keep The Thorns’ and its repeated mantra of “I’ll disregard the rose, but I’ll keep the thorns” is already itching to be tattooed on arms all over the land. ‘Sweet Tooth’ takes a stand with its euphorically maniacal sound, and closing the procession is ‘Heaven Help Me’, more wide-eyed fury that doesn’t hang about, barreling onwards until an abrupt Hollywood star end.

The rapturous eulogy encompassed within ‘II’ makes Salem so much more than sad punks. They’re sad punks who are Very Good at writing songs. 

Steven Loftin
4.0 rating
4/5
Total Score
Related Topics
  • Hype
  • Salem
You May Also Like
View Post
  • Features

Fall Out Boy: “Going deep with people that care feels so much more important than going wide”

  • March 24, 2023
View Post
  • Features

Sabrina Carpenter: Pop hits

  • March 22, 2023
View Post
  • Music News

Bimini shares first music of 2023 with ‘Rodeo’

  • March 25, 2023
Latest issue
Latest
    • Music News
    Bimini shares first music of 2023 with ‘Rodeo’
    • Music News
    Ed Sheeran has dropped his new single, ‘Eyes Closed’ – watch
    • Music News
    MAY-A has shared a new single, ‘Your Funeral’
    • Music News
    BLOXX are back with a new EP, and early teaser-track ‘Television Promises’
    • Music News
    boygenius have announced a few global listening events, plus a Banquet out-store show

Subscribe to our newsletter

Get pop nonsense to your inbox.

Dork
  • Contact
  • Jobs
  • Privacy
© 2016-2021 The Bunker Publishing Ltd

Input your search keywords and press Enter.