OneMinuteRun

With a bandpassed, buzzsaw blitzkrieg guitar, Ventura California punk outfit OneMinuteRun come out blazing on their self-titled debut EP. The quartet hit with fists of punk rock fury but also have the musical chops to show that they're more than three-chord miscreants who are under the delusion that they can play guitar. Along with pummeling drums and bellowing vocals are strong, well-structured melodics. The EP has vitality as its core message, seizing the day and making every minute count.

The crystallization of that message comes on the opener '1440', a reference to the number of minutes in a day. After the aforementioned buzzing guitar intro, the band launch into a spirited mid-punk stomp. Jeff Polly's throaty voice belts out a cautionary tale of bad decisions and the need to change the pattern. Guitarists Kraus and Polly trade stabs back and forth creating a bouncing, yet clock-like rhythm while bassist Sara Berghoff nimbly needles her way through the boys punching lines sewing them together to hang on drummer Sean Allen's steady backbeat.

'Regressive Animal' begins with Allen whipping up a swing-era tom frenzy while Berghoff lays down a high octane bass line. The band eventually settles into a driving four-on-the-floor with anthemic chorus screams. The album's mid-point ventures into the pop side of punk with 'Quicksand' and 'We Are the Dead' finding a contented consistent pace. However, the lyrics avoid the sophomoric and give credence to real social action.

The artistic highpoint of the record comes in its final two tracks. 'Barnburner' attacks with the promised intensity and finds a verse groove that creates a palpable mood beyond just bouncing frivolity. OneMinuteRun expands into fruitful territory with this penultimate track and finds their true strength with the closer 'The Pendulum'. Grungy rung out chords builds tension to the runaway chorus. The uneasy tremolo outro sees the band bringing in darker influences. This is the band at its most evolved and effective.

OneMinuteRun have come out with a debut that has all the fiery energy of a punk record with the musicianship and production quality of a great rock record. With the overarching message of living life urgently and standing up for yourself socially and politically, this record has hints of what made Refused a powerful force when they emerged. This is a strong first effort from a band on the rise.