Blame Game EP - Beach Bunny: Review

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Beach Bunny

is a Chicago based indie pop band who first blew up on the back of their song Prom Queen in 2019. They transitioned into 2020 with a debut album on Mom + Pop records early in the year and are following it up with this 4 track EP of songs recorded during quarantine. 

Review By Lav:

I enjoyed Beach Bunny's debut last year quite a bit as a simple, fun, surfy indie pop record that flashed a ton of potential. I was hoping to catch the band at Shaky Knees Festival later in the year but it was obviously cancelled and I've been waiting since for more material from Beach Bunny. I was surprised it came so soon with the Blame Game EP and a bit nervous that this was nothing more than a B-Side collection from the debut album. Whether it is or not may be hard to ever know for sure but it certainly doesn't sound like it because most of these tracks I really enjoy. 

The EP had a lead single that came out last year and I quite enjoy it. Good Girl (Don't Get Used) is a simple fun little pop punk tune that is hugely inspired by Paramore. The sentiment of the song is cute and I particularly enjoy the versatility put on display from the percussion throughout. The songwriting is simple but it results in an instantly enjoyable track. Love Sick is another fun little track with beachy sounding verses and a bit of a plain hook. My favorite part of the track may honestly be the post-chorus instrumental passages with bouncy catchy guitars. The song is basically the classic youthful heartbreak pop rock tune. The closing track Blame Game is also a great moment of independence to end off the record. While it is certainly a little rah-rah it feels right to end off the EP like this after each of the prior tracks dive into romance. The song isn't afraid to switch up its sound throughout and it does wonders for the back end of the EP. 

The only song I didn't love was Nice Guys which for some reason has the vocals mixed really quietly so they have no impact. So when the track explodes into its hook it just feels like everything was turned up louder rather than progressive musically and the squeaky annoying guitar riff is just wailing away in the background for no good reason. 

Blame Game is a fun EP that doesn't waste a second with anything not intended to be charming and catchy. For the most part it works which only gets me even more excited for what the band will do next, and I have a feeling their sophomore record, whenever it arrives, may be a modern pop punk classic. 7/10

Album Cover Review By Tyler Judson:

I really like the bright colors and quality of this illustration. It's saturated, eye catching and well drawn but it doesn't really strike me as an album cover. It seems like I would see it scrolling through Instagram, rather than mixed in with other covers. The text is too small and I think it should be the first thing you see in the image instead of having to search for it. 6/10

For more pop punk check out my review of Hayley Williams Petal For Armor here

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