Jaws, Milkshake EP- Review

JAWS new EP 'Milkshake' is a collection of everything they've done so far with a few added new songs. The vibe is mellow yet with a kick to it, its best saved for very hot summer days with cool windy breezes

So the opening track 'BreeZe has a very fitting title, I just put it on and the sun came out, its perfect summer material. The lyrics are all about love and summer and what starts off as a quite melodic piece quickly changes into a wall of sound, before spinning off into another direction. Its hazy and chilled out yet packed full of meoldies and pounding drums, and while the production adds a heavy layer to it all, it doesn't drown anything out. Connors singing is now  a bit easier to make out but low in the mix and subtle as usual. Frankly if there is any song that marks JAWS out to be a big deal its this. It even comes with a bit of cowbell.
'Donut' is more grungey, and dirty and on this one the vibe is more surf rock, rather than loads of melodies this ones more stripped back, with simpler riffs and repeated melodies. Think Nirvana on Happy Pills, unfortunately I can't make out a word that's being sung as its so low in the mix but that doesn't matter so much.
'Toucan Surf' was an early hit, (it may have been the first single)  and when I saw them live this track got a enthusiastic reaction from the bands loyal fans, everyone in the front 3 rows was po-going along, which is odd for such a mellow song. This track mixes echoing guitar lines with synth melodies and a bouncy rhythm, I can see why the crowd loved it.
New Single Friend like you follows on and its another newbie, so like BreeZe it shows JAWS settling into their melodic hazy, sunny sound. if you didn't think that JAWS could get any-more chillled out and relaxed then this one will prove you wrong, its a slow burner that starts of slow but half way through changes gear when the band decide to kick out the jams, its a trick that the band use a lot, no song ends on an anti-cilmax.
'Stay in' is more of the same, a chilled out track that mixes melodies with frantic drumming, Connors lyrics ring out on this track with repeated lines such as 'Stay in Stay out I don't want to know where you gonna go' before yet another grungey wall of sound, I'm running out of metaphors so lets just say it rocks, you wont know whether to mosh or relax.
'Surround You' finishes of this little career best of, and its still my favourite, in its own way its completely psychedelic, I adore the intro and the keyboard riff that pins down the song. It fits in brilliantly with the sparse guitar melodies. Lyrically its not that amazing if taken out of context but its simplicity is what makes it work. lines like ”Let the wind blow through your hair/Send me crazy with your stare” make the song seem even more euphoric when surrounded by such beautiful melodic sounds. It proves that JAWS are essentially a pop band who can write memorable catchy songs. The whole EP is full of contradictions, Its mellow yet grungey, its full of simple hooks and melodies yet it sounds complex when its all put together

I'm looking forward to an album after hearing this, if this is what the two first singles + their B-sides and two new tracks sound like when put together, then an album of freshly put together new songs could be amazing. some good evidence of this is that the 2 new tracks are some of the best on here.  

http://soundcloud.com/jaws-band

http://burminum.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/jaws-breeze-track-review.html
http://burminum.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/jaws.html