Southampton alternative rock band, Fighting Tyler, have produced a new EP, “Plastic Hearts and Rubber Bullets”. And wow. Just wow. A collection of five tracks and an interlude may not sound like much, but that’s all this quintet need to impress and amaze.
The EP opens with “Plastic Hearts”, a powerful tune that is unrelenting in its pace. Vikki-Jo, the woman in red who fronts this army of five, has an incredible voice. “Don’t forget, don’t forgive”, she proclaims in the pre-chorus of this opening track, her passion clearly evident in her vocal delivery.
“Versatility” is a phrase that suits her well, showcased brilliantly in this opening track, shifting from belting verses to soothing bridges, and certainly impressed me within moments of hearing it. The songs themselves are delivered with an astounding amount of defiance and power, as a unit, these rockers certainly function well as a unit.
Drummer Sam is another noteworthy member, his speed evident without smothering the music at all, and his beats compliment the efforts of guitarists Ali and Chris brilliantly. The fivesome as a whole manage to make powerful and catchy music, within the first few plays of the aggressive track; “Alive”, I had it stuck in my head for two whole days, and at no point did it become old.
Another noteworthy track is the mournful ballad of “Listen”, this song clearly carries a lot of emotion, and, from the moment the music kicks in, you can tell this is a song about heartbreak. It’s a unique skill, to be able to convey emotion within song, and I’m happy to say that Fighting Tyler have this particular nail hit on the head.
It’s all very impressive, and also, I can see the bands obvious influence from Paramore. In both their music and image, it’s clear that they had listened to Brand New Eyes more than a few times during the writing process. However, of all of the bands to draw inspiration from, good choice there.
Overall? Plastic Hearts and Rubber Bullets is great. The instrumentation is fantastic, as is the structure and emotion behind the songs. It’s going to be released on the 9th of April, and I’d strongly urge anyone who likes rock music to pick this up, it would be well worth your time. They’re also touring the UK to promote it, the next few gigs being Southampton (The 8th of April), Bristol (The 9th) and Plymouth (The 10th).
I would highly recommend going to see these guys live, if their live shows are as good as this EP, then you’ll be in for a treat.
Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EADcX3DdyK8&feature=relmfu
Line Up
Vikki-Jo – Vocals
Mike Rebrea – Bass
Sam – Drums/vocals
Ali – Lead Guitar
Chris – Rhythm Guitar
The Track Listing
Plastic Hearts
Forgetmenot
Listen
-Interval-
Alive
We’re not in Kansas anymore
Links
http://www.fightingtyler.com
http://www.facebook.com/fightingtyler
http://www.youtube.com/FightingTyler
Review By Mike Masters.
