EP Review: Company Ink – 'Blah Blah'
Company Ink bring their own creative flare to the ‘punk genre’.
If you’ve never heard of Company Ink, now is the time to check them out, especially if you’re a fan of Bloc Party or LCD Soundsystem. Company Ink write indie dance punk anthems with a strong new wave/post-punk presence and pop sensibilities, and their debut EP Blah Blah establish these qualities flawlessly.
Blah Blah opens with the title track. It’s electronic and funky with cool basslines you can’t help but boogie to. ‘Blah Blah’ is a real dance track through and through. But don’t be discouraged, it’s not your typical Top 40 dance pop song – these guys are excellent songwriters and musicians with a real feel for texture and melody. Check out the flange/phase octave melody on the middle. ‘Blah Blah’ is followed by ‘No Love’, which is a bit like Slaves if they were to write a pop-dance-indie-punk track. You can hear this especially in the call and response moments. It’s got a half time, almost melancholic, arpeggic jangle guitar riff. Despite the electronic dance elements, Company Ink will appeal to guitar players everywhere who can’t help but get drawn to great riffs.
The second side of the EP contains two previously released singles: ‘Young Milk’ and ‘The Flip’. ‘The Flip’ is another great dance-punk song, with the four on the floor beat in the verse and build up to the chorus. The chorus itself is a classic anthemic pop/rock chorus. However, without a doubt, ‘Young Milk’ is a personal favourite, due to it being the most punk/rock song on the EP, and believe it to be the stand out track.
Company Ink are very talented songwriters. Not just in the pure pop sensibilities and the universal appeal they have, but it’s the attention to detail in the layering of instruments and melodies in the songs that really stand out. Additionally, there is a sense of lament underlying throughout Blah Blah, so there are more to these songs than you might initially expect.
Words by Matthew Brocklehurst