Photo by Anna Burnett
Scustin have unveiled the full four tracks of their new EP The Lock-In, after teasing the first two tracks over the course of this year. Tendencies are undoubtedly post-punk, but they sprinkle in a bright and energetic indie rock when the moment calls for it.
The Irish quartet are abrasive, swaggering and charming. They blur the lines, as anyone does in the pub, between sheer absurdity and profound social commentary. New track ‘Pub Talkin’ is brimming with energised guitar distortion and a punchy lyrical delivery. It has all the chaos of regulars at the boozer and is produced with plenty of humour. ‘The Ballad Of Scampi Fries’ then, beginning with an ethereal vocal, blends trad-folk acoustic guitar and whistle with the band’s standard serving of gritty underbelly. The story it tells is hilarious and lovable.
The band explain, “The Lock-In is the culmination of everything we’ve built so far, a bit of a sonic tip of the hat to the community that’s grown around us. We’ve spent the early years of this band playing and hanging out in pubs, meeting incredible people along the way, and everything always comes back to a few key things: community, humour and sincerity.
That’s what we wanted to capture on this record, and I think we gave it a good shot. As we close that chapter, it feels like we’ve landed on something that’s genuinely connecting with people, you can really feel that in the shows. We’ve pushed each other a lot as musicians, and it’s brought out what we think is our best work so far. Now we’re itching to get stuck into whatever comes next.”
Since the release of their debut album Confessions Of A Pub Talker last year, Scustin have emerged as an exciting new act. They’ve performed across festivals, seen waves of press support and plenty of playlist attention. The latest EP is an epilogue to that debut full-length, but it is by no means a weaker project. As Scustin head to 2000 Trees or Boomtown in the summer, their presence will undoubtedly continue to grow.
Listen here:
