This is a Revolver Aim High on Debut Self-Titled Punk EP

There’s perhaps no other band name as in your face as This is a Revolver, an LA-based punk band who formed early this year and have come guns blazing with the release of their debut EP, This is a Revolver. Founded by guitarist Rudy Lopez and vocalist Nikki Born, who met during film school, they expanded the group this past January to include bassist Matt Gossen and drummer Taylor Frost. By March, they already had a single out.

This is a Revolver takes things to another level on the new EP, all while polishing punk to a quality not even experienced artists might have after years of releasing music. The opening track, “Unearth,” starts matters simple enough, laying the groundwork for a foundation that the four will go on to obliterate. If anything, the track serves as a peace offering for the kind of intensity Born brings to the group, whose brooding voice matches the other band members performing with equal angst.

Upping the ante into more grunge territory, “Lemon” finds Gossen and Frost in sync on what might be the band’s most focused song. Each member has their moment, contributing to Born’s songwriting that manages to sound more like doomsday preaching than a traditional grunge track where the singer screams at the top of their lungs. But that’s far from being a hindrance, allowing you to hear every word, which proves to be as sour as the instrumental.

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Of the five tracks, “Gallows Tree” deservedly gets a music video that’s perhaps more hectic than the song itself. Never taking a moment to simmer down, the trigger-happy editing shifts across multiple locations, including the desert, graffiti walls, and a cartoon tree where Born hangs in the same pose as the hanged man tarot card. And if it wasn’t clear enough, the MTV-style song information on the bottom left serves as a reminder of the era This is a Revolver draws so heavily from.

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Considering there was no such thing as This is a Revolver a year ago, the fact they already have three music videos and an EP under their belt should prove how prolific they aim to be. Though their style of punk and grunge music isn’t breaking any new ground, it does stand out from other cheap imitators simply because of how clean their songs sound. And when all four members are this locked in with the music, there’s not much that can get in the way of a road path that’s proven successful for other similar bands from years past.

Words: David Sosa

This is a Revolver by This is a Revolver is out on all streaming services. For more on new music and potential shows, follow them on Instagram and TikTok.