Review: National Snack - Apply Machine EP

Described as “Mungrul Music”, National Snack are a three-piece alternative rock/punk band from the UK, comprised of Gemma Storr (vocals, guitar), Joe Carlo (vocals, bass), and Phil Casey (drums). December 8th marks the release of their Apply Machine EP, which they’re commemorating by playing a gig at Nambucca in London at 9 pm with Hot Head Show and Pearly; see flyer below.

One aspect that immediately struck me about National Snack was their DIY kind of music aesthetic; a fun, unpretentious element too often missing from the present day’s music which hearkens back to the fervor of late 70’s garage-punk acts. Their songs are catchy and groovable, plus listening to the EP offers a good indication of what an entertaining, energy-packed live show they must put on!

Apply Machine EP offers, indeed, “6 songs to move your head in different directions”. The male and female vocal trade-off and synchronizing allow tracks like “Mischief” and “My Head Hurts” to sound dynamic and urgent. “This is Not Enough” is softer and more conversational in tone, picking up the pace at the end with “Frustration / And desire / Only serves to / Light my…fire”. “Self Conscious” is a look into the current state of society, “We are the disillusioned / Too well-fed for a revolution”. The absolute stand-out tracks here, for me, are “Working for the Devil” and “Rock n Roll”, excellent examples of the sort of cheeky tunefulness the National Snack offer in the EP and serve as a very good omen for the future sound of this group.

They might have sonic similarities to present-day groups like The Subways and The Pigeon Detectives, but their influences are undoubtedly eclectic, noted on their MySpace as being “The B52’s, Muse, Frank Zappa and The Muppets” and in their press-kit in regards to their sound: “somewhere between Prince, Fugazi, and The Weathergirls depending on how many singers they take to a gig”.

What’s more, just as their EP is being released, they have an appeal on their website for those who are interested to buy a tile space on the back of their debut LP and then subsequently be allowed to design that portion, which will not only help out the band produce the album, but allow your design to appear on the finished product…and you get a copy of it! It is this sort of innovative development and musical process that sets National Snack aside from many other groups, and is what makes them absolutely worth checking out.
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Buy Apply Machine EP
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National Snack - Official Website| on MySpace | on Facebook | on Reverbnation

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