Broken Lungs EP: “Love is Temporary And So are We”

Joe Jones: Vocals & Lyrics

Damian Cruse: Guitars & Backing Vocals

Alex Dewhirst: Bass Guitar

Dan Hartman: drums

Perhaps we don’t cover enough punk here, but we try to make amends now and then! We do have a connection with the LA melodic punk scene, bands like “The Last Gang” and “The Bombpops” have spoken to us, and we love those guys, but maybe we should do more from this side of the water. Broken Lungs hail from Birmingham and deliver a no-mess, fist-in-face style of punk. Whatever is happening in Birmingham right now, it is producing some great metal bands. Check out these guys, and Flesh Creep is another Brummie band to note as well.

Since the band’s formation in 2018, they’ve hit stages across the UK, including two hometown headline shows at the O2 Academy in Birmingham, and have shared stages with Palm Reader, Ithaca, Polar and Graphic Nature, to name a few. They are heavily influenced by bands like Gallows, The Ghost of a Thousand, Every Time I Die, and Comeback Kid, and act as a love letter to hardcore and punk cross-over sounds from the 00s

The band tells us that “Love Is Temporary and So Are We” is about the journey taken in the aftermath of heartbreak and loss through grief, anger, depression, acceptance, self-reflection, and identity. Through the exploration of the link between loss (Love Is Temporary) and our mortality, the greatest of all losses (And So Are We), the EP’s main message is one of self-reliance, self-love, and independence in that you are your one consistent and no-one else should define you and your inevitable path towards the grave.

My Review:

“Push Notifications, Pushing Me To The Edge:” Heavy, grunge guitar and fast pounding drums deliver the opening squarely between the eyes. The guys are kicking it to you, feel the pain. I loved the little guitar shimmy that links the wall of sound.

“Pity Party” sees a massive vocal fireworks show from Joe Jones. Its a sound crawling through the streets of Birmingham, looking for the next victim.

“Catholic Guilt” delivers the next bullet. It sits mid-EP and is fine, but lacks the inventiveness of the two previous tracks.

“Scatter the Fragments” opens in a dark and brooding manner. The vocals note the pain, a howl to the moon. Instrumentally, it is a little slower, and it sets up the last track.

“Love Is Temporary, and So Are We” ends the EP with a heavy, punishing sound—a more than decent end.

Standout track: “Pity Party.”

Overall, listen to this if you like metallic, hardcore metal that never thought of taking prisoners.

And we hope you liked the review, dear reader! If you did, please check out the other pages of the magazine; we have many great features, merchandise, editorials and even poetry! We work hard for you, and if you want to show some appreciation and support what we do, then do use the Support Us link below! Always appreciated.

CREDITS

Recorded, mixed and mastered at Jigsaw Audio by Myroslav Borys

Artwork by Make North

Photography by Kayla May

You can stream the album here