Album Review: Columbus - 'Home Remedy'

3 February 2015 | 11:10 am | Alex Sievers
Originally Appeared In

It’s time to get sad, and then get happy with the new EP from Columbus.

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French fashion designer Coco Chanel once said, “The best things in life are free. The second best things are very, very expensive”. Well considering that the new EP from Columbus, ‘Home Remedy’, is up for free (or you can be a legend and throw them some money) and considering that it’s a great EP to boot, well maybe ol’ Chanel was right.

But Columbus you say? No, not as in the famous explorer, rather the Brisbane trio who merge honest melodic hardcore with even more honest and cathartic pop-punk as if all of their angsty feels were about to disappear tomorrow and they’d have to start tackling politics and the harsh realities of third-world countries.

Anyway.

The trio brings out the big guns first, as well as roping in John Floreani of Sydney’s Trophy Eyes so he can lend his raspy, emotional-ridden voice to the EP’s first song, ‘Downsides Of Being Honest’. It’s a fast, punchy, catchy feels fest in the vein of bands like Basement and from the get-go it never lets up on its energy. This is definitely the stand out track of the four and the band would be bonkers not to play this one live.

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Toss & Turn’ keeps the pace up. The lyrics deal with desperation and loneliness and interchanging vocals help to reinforce this. The track also has well a fantastic epic final minute and those lead guitars really back this up. It’s a more dynamic song and places emphasis on sing-alongs, despite it not being as catchy. While it's a slightly slower ode, it doesn't lose any punch and it's here where the influences of bands like Misser come out on.

Hospital’ moves back into the pop-punk territory, but it’s just as emotional as the first and of course, just as catchy. It’s also an angsty fuck-you song and those kinds of songs seem to resonate with most people. The title track, which is a pained reflection of youth and past relationships, is another great moment, continuing the superb track record of this EP. It’s another example of how the band uses the dual vocal styles to good use, namely in the solemn guitar intro and thereafter. Once the whole group comes in together though it sounds like Hot Water Music and Idle Class had a gruff, melodic and overly steamy one-night stand and gave birth to this gem of a song.

So that’s 'Home Remedy' in a nutshell.

One thing that Columbus do really fucking well is the amount of impact in their choruses. They just all fit in so well and they all feel so natural. Now that’s an interesting notion, as most people think of song choruses as just being easy, as being the basic point and the natural motive of a song, but so many bands seem to stuff this approach up and the initial delivery and meaning of the song suffers majorly for it. Thankfully, Columbus do it right the whole way through, making these four songs regular trips through your ears.

Columbus aren’t necessarily original in terms of the pop-punk/indie/melodic hardcore/post-hardcore/whatever-the-fuck-you-want-to-call-it scene, but this trio do it better than most. Considering that ‘Home Remedy’ is a fantastic offering from start to finish and is available as ‘Pay What You Wish’ (get it here right now, goddamnit!), you’d have to be a real sodding sod to not go and check out these young guns, right after you close all the porn tabs on your browser of course.

1. Downsides Of Being Honest (Feat. John F. of Trophy Eyes)

2. Toss & Turn

3. Hospital

4. Home Remedy