HB Surround Sound – Explode EP
Track Listing:
1. Top of the World
2. Rock And Roll
3. Give You Away
The Pier Album Rating:
Release Date: February 21st, 2012
Official Website: HB Surround Sound’s Website
Group Background:
Straight out of Huntington Beach, CA, HB Surround Sound are no strangers to the music scene. Having formed in the late 90s and putting out 3 albums before taking time off in 2006, HB Surround Sound was known for originally blending Punk Rock, Metal & Reggae. They were responsible in the early 2000s for introducing Dirty Heads by giving Duddy B (Dustin Bushnell) & Dirty J (Jared Watson) a platform to showcase their talent at live shows.
Over the years, the group has progressed into an original healthy blend of Ska, Reggae, Rock in the vain of Operation Ivy, Rancid & The Specials. Now their return to the stage after a few years off includes the May 2011 EP release of Back to Reality, as well as the early 2012 release of their new and latest EP EXPLODE.
Album Review:
HB Surround Sound made a name for themselves as one of the first groups to mix rock, reggae, metal and punk. After taking a few years off, the band’s last EP, Back To Reality, was straight rude boy, ditching much of the reggae-rock influence they’d originally carried. On Explode, however, they’ve upped the pop punk factor leaving behind a 3 track piece of pop punk ska seeping with rugged energy and two-tone bounce with the big guitars and extra sugary hooks of 90’s pop punk.
A step in the right direction? Fuck yeah.
Three tracks jump from pop punk to ska and back again, and it’s done remarkably well with catchy hooks, big guitars and a rude-boy shuffle to light up the dance-floor. If you’re looking to hear something more then, sorry, but this album isn’t for you. But if you’re up for three songs that jump from dance-hall stomp to mosh pit mayhem, you’ve come to the right place.
The album’s three tracks don’t explore a wide range of sonic coloring or texture, but the tight area they keep themselves in is one they know damn well. Punks and Rude boys/girls of the world, this is an album for you.
Written & Reviewed by: Chris Castro
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