THE GRATITUDES
‘BEANS’ E.P
(Westergaard Records)
9/10
Norwegian noir (not my words) punk popsters The Gratitudes release their debut E.P. ‘Beans’, and it’s dirty, catchy and immense. Opener ‘Extinction Bash (Where’s The Beer?)’ crashes through the genres with a flick and flip of all that is holy in the Rock, Punk and Pop world. The vocals perfectly straddle, tame and harness the runaway riff and pounding beat. A slower ‘You Close Your Eyes’ (a cover of the Dwight Twilley song) has a beautiful Fifties meets Emo greased back texture that lovingly envelopes you before floating off into the sunset.
The final cut of three is the ballsy ‘Crammed In A Jam Jar’, which has all the hallmarks of an absolute Pop/Punk classic landing somewhere between Hey! Hello! Hole, and Cheap Trick, and I can’t stop hitting repeat… The Gratitudes have promised a full-length release in early 2024, and personally, I can’t f*cking wait!
For more Gratitudes info, head over to the band’s Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100083283672061.