Punk/Pop has always been a genre that seems to regenerate itself and comes in waves, a few years back Bournemouth had a fair amount of bands championing their Pop/Punk roots. This seems to have petered out until recently when new band ‘Cause For Control’ got together to resurrect the town’s dwindling scene. Former ‘Escape December’ guitarist Lewis Patrick joined forces with frontman Dale Fisher who together with a host of new ideas, soon recruited their rhythm section of Max Ashley on Bass and initially Rory Mchugh on Drums. Going down the DIY route the band started to record their debut EP within their own homes, along with mixing and mastering it themselves too. The six-track EP entitled “Manifesting Dreams” was born out of a passion for the music these guys love. Though the tunes have a pure Punk/Pop core you can find a few other influences slipping in along the way. The band released the EP with a live gig in November at the HMV Store in Bournemouth, where the band caused quite a stir and sold plenty of copies of the release too.
The EP opens with “Sincerity” and the band immediately show their abilities to deliver an infectious tune with rhythmic and vocal hooks aplenty. The next song ‘Reboot’ is an uplifter, a song with real urgency and one you could easily see a messy mosh pit appearing when the band play it live. Keeping to their Pop/Punk influence the melodic guitars are reminiscent of Sum 41 while the vocals don’t sound too far away from Joel Madden of Good Charlotte. The band recorded a great video for this tune at Bournemouth’s Rock bar Zephyr which can be seen below. The momentum continues with “Why Am I Here”; a tune with darker undertones where the band show their more creative streak, pushing their boundaries at creating their own original sounds.
“Somebody New” is a perfect song for the New Year – out with the old, in with the new. It’s a tune that details being in a poisonous relationship that should have ended long before it did. The longer it went on the worse things got. It has lyrics that lots of people can certainly relate to and a tune that could give somebody the strength to do something about their own situations. It’s a simple effective tune with straight to the point and understandable lyrics. Track 5 is “Room to Breathe” and it’s the sound of the band fully stretching their legs and gaining confidence in their own collective abilities, many of the song’s ingredients remind me of Blink 182’s “Rock Show”. The final number “Secrets In The Snow” is a slower more deliberate tune where Dale impresses with his consistent vocal delivery on this melodic gem.
Their love for bands like Blink 182, Sum 41, Good Charlotte, Green Day and The Offspring are clear, but here they have tried to carve out a sound of their own wearing their Pop/Punk hearts clearly on their sleeves. If they can connect with larger audiences to gain some momentum, who knows there could be some great opportunities out there for this band.
Track-Listing
Sincerity
Reboot
Why Am I Here
Somebody New
Room to Breathe
Secrets in the Snow
Cause for Control are
Dale Fisher – Vocals/Guitar
Lewis Patrick – Guitar
Max Ashley – Bass
Rory Mchugh- Drums
Links
http://www.causeforcontrol.com
Words by David Chinery (Chinners).
