EP Review: SOAPBOX - ‘LOCK IN’
Sometimes, a band arrives seemingly out of nowhere, propelled by an unignorable sonic blast, ruffling feathers with outspoken political views and a righteous refusal to back down. SOAPBOX are one such band, and they just released their EP ‘LOCK IN’.
Formed in Glasgow in 2022, the Scottish four-piece have made a considerable impact in just three short years, stirring the political pot by plastering posters featuring their lyrics about Nazis and BDSM around Glasgow to promote their debut EP. Less than a week later, they were hastily removed by the city’s council. “Glasgow City Council don’t believe in punching Nazis apparently”, the band wryly responded, urging fans to seek out any remaining posters. And that’s not all: SOAPBOX have also attracted the welcome support of socialist politician Jeremy Corbyn, as well as a misjudged, unsolicited endorsement from Alt-right ringleader Gavin McInnes, with the band’s stern rebuttal of his values covered by The Times. So far, so controversial. But what of the music itself?
Muscular, gritty, and energised, the SOAPBOX sound is immediately striking, taking its cue from modern punk stalwarts such as IDLES and SOFT PLAY (seemingly down to their penchant for all-caps band names). At the same time, SOAPBOX have a strong, singular identity themselves, largely thanks to lead singer Tom Rowan, who shouts and sneers in a thick Scottish accent. In the same way that Alex Turner’s unapologetically Yorkshire vocals were a defining feature of the first two Arctic Monkeys albums, Rowan’s instantly recognisable voice is at the heart of SOAPBOX’s appeal, though the bombastic backing of his bandmates - guitarist Angus Husbands, bassist Aidan Bowskill, and drummer Jenna Nimmo - should not be underestimated.
The band introduced themselves to the world with their debut EP ‘HAWD THAT’ last April, accompanied by a sell-out show at Glasgow’s famed King Tuts Wah Wah Hut. For their follow-up EP ‘LOCK IN’, they have again opted for a celebratory release show, with a stop at the 500-capaicty Glasgow School of Art marking the band’s biggest headline to date. This upwards shift extends to the EP itself - while ‘HAWD THAT’ largely revelled in power-chords and Oi-style simplicity, ‘LOCK IN’ sees SOAPBOX mix these qualities with a heavier, riff-centric approach.
This is evident from the off, with opener ‘Mess’ beginning with a catchy guitar refrain which steadily increases in speed, getting quicker and quicker until, bang, we’re thrust into the song proper, a flurry of chords and crashing drums pushing the track into high gear. All this before Rowan has delivered a single word, which he finally proceeds to do as an extended version of the opening riff underscores his admission that “I feel my heartbeat, the walls are closing in/ I close my eyes as my chest begins to twinge”. This fervent sense of desperation is built up until the chorus explodes with a cynical catharsis, Rowan sounding almost relieved to confirm that “I’m in a mess, you know I must confess”.
Then, just as the song’s structure seems clear, a slightly tweaked reprise of the intro acts as a briefly atmospheric bridge, ethereal backing vocals repeatedly singing “In a mess” with a melodic monotony, continuing to underpin proceedings even as Rowan jumps back in to list the various issues causing him stress, before one last rush through the chorus ends the song on a high. The many switch-ups in pace and tone are impressive, but the fact it’s all achieved in under three minutes is even more admirable. Here is a band with an eye for efficiency, but never at the expense of inventiveness or expression, as ‘Mess’ expertly illustrates.
Better still is the second song ‘Good Guys’, a searing takedown of “centrist shite” set to a beefy riff and accompanying drum pattern which sound like something straight from a SOFT PLAY record. It’s a thrilling sonic backdrop for Rowan’s scathing critique of modern Labour, and all those who “worship at the chapel of Bush, Brown and Blair”. The song basks in its swaggering groove for the better half of a minute before a driving chorus ups the ante, Rowan taking aim at Israel's annihilation of Gaza, and the Labour politicians who refuse to oppose it in any meaningful way. “Just let us read our history, the death toll is a mystery/ It’s all in self-defence, you see we’ll do what we want”, he sneers sarcastically, distorted guitar and pounding drums reflecting the urgency of his message.
Following an effortless transition back into the riffage of the verse, Rowan confronts Starmer’s Labour with their damming double-standards surrounding immigration and race: “We’ll do our part for refugees, only if they’ve got blue eyes”. Ouch. Solidifying the savagery of the track with a brief but brutal breakdown, SOAPBOX cement ‘Good Guys’ as an unforgiving and utterly vital attack on those who take pride in being the lesser of two evils, without even trying to be anything better.
Next up is lead single ‘Do As Ur Told’, a song concerned with “being strong-armed into situations which are non-beneficial", according to Rowan. Beginning with a hooky riff reminiscent of punk royalty Kid Kapichi and their touring mates SNAYX - both of whom the band have supported in the past year - before ploughing into a full-throttle verse with a subversive stop-start quality to it, oppressive guitar lines pulling the song to a temporary standstill, only for ferocious, pummelling drums to send it rocketing forward.
“You don’t like my way/ Try the highway”, Rowan snarls with a smile, the harsh instrumental swirl culminating in a chanty chorus carried by a yet another high-velocity riff, before we drop back into that infectious opening one, redeployed as a hype-inducing bridge that’s bound to encourage much mosh pit-prepping live. Prepared pitters won’t be disappointed, with the build-up followed by a visceral final chorus that will surely get crowds moving during a busy festival season for SOAPBOX.
Never ones to outstay their welcome, the band ensures that the EP’s fourth song is also its last. Inspired by Irvine Welsh’s short story of the same name, 'The Granton Star Cause' ends ‘LOCK IN’ on a bit of a different note, with an underlying subtlety present amongst the trademark liveliness, at least until the very funny bridge, which sees Rowan attempting to repeat the line “please, please don’t shite in my mouth” through increasingly uncontrollable laughter.
Plunging back into the moody, SPRINTS-style chorus, Husbands pushes his guitar to its pitch-bending limit as the track comes crashing to a halt, concluding what has been a brilliantly in-your-face EP with a song which both exemplifies the punchiness of SOAPBOX’s signature sound, and points to a future where stylistic shifts may well evolve what said sound is considered to be.
Words by Ben Left
