The Canadian punk band Bishops Green used their forced time away from touring during the pandemic to pen a bunch of new songs. They had enough for two records in 2022, the incredible Black Skies and this six-song EP that even hosts three live tunes from the Richshaw Theatre in Vancouver, BC.
The charged listen opens with the driving and gruffly melodic “Waiting,” where Troy Zak’s animated and bouncy bass lines certainly make an impression alongside Orville Lancaster’s fluid drumming and the shouted versus sung vocals.
“Working Poor” follows with scrappy drumming and Rob Schwitzer’s swirling guitar complementing the anthemic climate, and “We Decide” continues with a hard hitting yet tuneful display of gang vocals, searing guitar work and a meticulous rhythm section.
The back half of the listen is entirely live and the sound quality is excellent. “Tumbling Down” starts this portion with Greg Huff’s raspy, barked vocals that welcome an occasional rock’n’roll guitar solo and no lack of bass acrobatics in the swift delivery.
“Alone” and “The Crow” exit the listen and retain just as much punk rock spirit as the rest of the record. The former thumps and shakes with both firm moments as well as calm bouts, and the latter brings a warm punk’n’roll approach that’s still got plenty of biting and fierce moments buried in the melody.
Interestingly, the three live tracks all extend to 10 minutes in length, so we really get to absorb the technical aspects of the band. And the three studio tracks are among their best yet—although, really, this is a band that can do no wrong.
If legends like Blitz, The Clash and Cock Sparrer mean anything to you, Bishops Green will be a band that will occupy a lot of your time.
