Humour - A Small Crowd Gathered To Watch Me EP

This tiny EP packs a powerful, poignant punch. The latest release from Glasgow-based band Humour is a rollercoaster ride of beautiful misery. Sharp, twisting vocals coil like barbed wire, around noisy, ceaseless riffage, creating a dazzling mirage of sound. Each track ruthlessly moves forward with relentless force, as if on some otherworldly astral trajectory. Opening title-track 'A Small Crowd Gathered To Watch Me' makes its way under your skin, with vocals ferociously screeching with an off-kilter pitch and candour.

True to each track within the EP, Humour love to tell a story. Lead single 'Big Money', inspired by the historical figure Carlos Fitzcarrald, a rubber baron from the 19th century, tells the story of a vicious capitalist destroying the natural world. The eerie composition of this track paints a sinister picture, with quickening singular riffs filling listeners with dread and unease. Gaining inspiration from history and bringing the temperamental figure to life is an unusual endeavour, yet they do it beautifully.

With melancholic bass tumbling in the background, 'Take A Look At My Tongue' is outstanding, capturing bleak, raw emotion as Andreas Christodoulidis's bewitching vocals wail in fierce agony. The rogue piano keys and pacing drums create a dreary, pensive atmosphere - violently tugging at the heartstrings. Lyrics asking, "Take a look at my life, what do you mean it's finished?" have a youthful quality and intense vulnerability.

This EP is post-punk at its absolute finest.