Self-released, June 20, 2020
Hellmouth Demos do some sloppy, charming fun.
Fresno pop punks Hellmouth Demos are new to me. As far as I can tell, they’ve only got one other release to their name, 2019’s Sunnydales Demos, which includes all four songs from this Band Candy EP in very slightly altered form. Keeping it simple, they play a buzzing, sloppy sort of pop punk.
Band Candy’s four songs are okay-to-pretty good, offering up a few hooks and singalong moments that’ll get you smiling. My favorites among these are “Never Kill A Boy On The First Date” and “Band Candy”. “Never Kill” has the catchiest vocal cadences and backing harmonies on the record and it plays like a sped up bubblegum song. It’s buoyant energy works, except for a weird saxophone break that comes in around the one-minute mark. The rest of the song is good enough to save the day, but admittedly, it throws me off. “Band Candy” also does some bubblegum vocals and plays some more sped up throwback pop punk that hits right. The best of this song doesn’t quite hit the highs of “Never Kill”, but it also doesn’t have any break or bridge throwing me off the scent. Still, both are pretty fun blasts.
Opener “Surprise” is a mid-tempo stomp with a rhythmic cadence and backing vocals on the verse that reminds me a bit of something Ramones might mess around with. It’s a pretty good song that’s got an excitable buzz, and the chorus is a lot of fun. And then closer “Killed By Death” sounds like they’re going for a Misfits thing, with the vocals approximating a Danzig sort of croon while they throw in “whoa-ohs” and gang vocals that sound ripped from Walk Among Us. It’s an okay song, but it seems a little out of place next to the charming pop punk of the first three songs.
On Band Candy, Hellmouth Demos sound like a band to keep an eye on. They have a knack for creating some indelible hooks that are a little sloppy, a little charming, and pretty fun. Sure, there are a couple of moments on Band Candy that may not land just right, but there’s also a lot of stuff to like on here.
You might like this if:
- You like sugary punk with some great vocal hooks and plenty of catchiness
You might not if:
- You have an aversion to sloppy-charming pop punk
ryan is a reviewer and news editor for TGEFM. He’s very secretive, he might be an alien.
