SINGLE REVIEW: Bent Out Of Shape – Who Laughs Last EP (Demons Run Amok Entertainment)
Bent Out Of Shape are a new four-piece Oi!/streetpunk band from Fryslân in the Netherlands and this is their debut EP proper.
Formed in October 2019 with the aim of being an honest, hard-hitting band, they cite influences including Blitz, Stars & Stripes, Cock Sparrer and The Beltones.
They released a seven-song demo earlier this year (reviewed here) and it earned them a deal with Demons Run Amok entertainment for this 7in EP.
Henk on vocals/guitar, Norbert on guitar, Jeroen on bass and Bart on drums have been in a whole host of bands, and their sound should appeal to fans of classic English Oi!
There are four new songs here, and the record opens in style with Who Laughs Last, which is an ideal showcase for their sound – a tough but melodic guitar-driven sound and anthemic choruses.
The second track is Paying Tribute, and it’s nothing less than a mission statement from the B.O.O.S. boys – an affectionate nod to the glory days of Oi!, referencing the likes of The Business and the Cockney Rejects along the way. It’s a great upbeat song, and even has its own video.
Lost in The System finds sympathy for those who lose jobs and struggle to make ends meet, particularly relevant right now, as economies shrink amid the coronavirus pandemic, and people fall between the cracks of the help available.
Rounding things off is In Fryslan, a rousing love letter to the band’s home province, which contains four national parks. Talk of “the water, the fields and the clear blue skies” sounds idyllic and makes me yearn to go there, particularly after suffering lockdown restrictions for most of 2020!
All in all, this is a fine debut by a band who I like increasingly the more I hear from them. Now how about an album, boys?
