Flat Party - It's All Been Done Before EP

Flat Party have created a healthy buzz over the last few years, with their self-titled debut EP and singles like ‘Aching for Living’ setting their stall out as an innovative new addition to the hard-to-define arty, post-punk scene. This next five-song offering, ‘It’s All Been Done Before' EP, feels that bit heavier than their previous singles, sharpening the edges of art-pop to create a more jagged collection of songs that still retain the theatricality that make Flat Party so fun and ambitious.

Opening track ‘Circle’ encapsulates this, combining a pretty straight-up indie-rock backdrop with vocalist Jack Lawther’s Bowie-esque vocals. This flamboyance continues through anxiety-inducing ‘Paranoia/Delicate Dawn’, with big glam rock riffs driving forward the sense of losing control. It’s an EP that doesn’t pull any punches sonically or in message, using krautrock repetition in ‘Madonna’ to slowly turn up the weirdness before catapulting into title-track ‘It’s All Been Done Before’, which brings together the threads that they weave across the EP, fading out with a piano line that calms the waves and balances the EP out. The pinnacle of this EP is ‘Shotgun’, an 80s synth-pop anthem that brings in post-punk cowbells and whimsical rhythms that could easily be a reworking of the BBC News soundtrack.

This second EP grounds Flat Party’s sound and sets them up perfectly for whatever comes next. If they continue on this trajectory, then 2025 looks to be a very, very exciting year for the band.