Album Review: Captain, We're Sinking's new 7" 'It's a Trap' is a new take on an old taste

Captain, We're Sinking; It's a Trap

Scranton, PA
Kind of Like Records
Released May 18, 2010

By Darryl Norrell 

For fans of: Hot Water Music, Polar Bear Club, Title Fight
 

Eastern Pennsylvania continues to grow as a hotbed for the 'ol D.I.Y. ethic and hyper-emotive punk rock, with Philly area favorites like Algernon Cadwallader and Street Smart Cyclist paving the road for a slew of revivalists and imitators alike. Miles and miles north, Scranton natives Captain, We're Sinking have loudly strung together their own answer to a burgeoning musical trend, whether they know it or not. But that isn't to say this is derivative. The increasingly-cliched obsession with digging up the dusty bones of Cap'n Jazz or American Football seems to be beneath these guys; they swap sparkling, busy clean guitars and Tim Kinsella impersonators out in favor of melodic-punk riffs and sheer anthemic force.

Clocking in at just under twelve minutes, this is a short affair, and maybe appropriately so- had there been more than twelve minutes of the same, none of it would be this special. The vocals manage to stand out above all else... the throaty, passionate roars do recall Polar Bear Club or fellow Scrantonites The Menzingers, but they reach for greater heights, the payoff being 'whoa-moments' like that in the climax of "Swing Your Kami Sword" (this is iiiiit!). In fact, the singer demands so much attention that the band behind him can sometimes be little else but serviceable. It happens a few times on this EP: occasionally, they reach beyond the standard trappings of punk rock and give us a real moment. Instrumental passages like those in the titular opener or "Gunner Merring Will Have His Revenge" are what truly make this release a little bit greater than the sum of its parts. 

All things considered, it's difficult to call It's a Trap anything besides 'the sound of a good band doing their thing' - something I imagine they'd be OK with. On the other hand, fans looking for a real statement from PA's DIY scene simply must keep them on the radar... the strengths of these songs are so unique and great in number that you can't help but wonder where it's all going.

Available from: Kind of Like Records on vinyl or for free from If You Make It as a digital download.
Lineup: Leo, Zack, Bob, Squid

Tracklisting:
1. It's a Trap (2:50)
2. Crushed By Milwaukee's Best (2:53)
3. Swing Your Kami Sword (2:24)
4: Gunner Merring Will Have His Revenge (3:41)