Monsula – Nickel EP
Picture by Chrissy Piper
Some years ago I picked up a cheap lot of 7″es on Ebay. If I remember correctly it did contain the Inside Out / Youth Of Today bootleg (the main reason I wanted to pick it up back then), the Quicksand – s/t, a damaged Minor Threat – Salad Days and I think the Supertouch 7″ (that I gave away not much later… Only to realize my mistake… No worries, I picked up a new copy since then). All in all, not a bad buy right? The only 7″ in the package I wasn’t familiair with was the Monsula – Nickel 7″. Never heard of it so I tossed it aside and it never got played.
Fast forward a year or maybe two? One of the blogs I followed posted about that very same 7″. Recognizing the artwork from that 7″ I tossed aside I decided to check it out this time. And that ladies and gentleman was something I should have done earlier… I instantly loved it! Maybe it was meant to be, maybe I would have given it away back then, like I did with the Supertouch 7″. But listening to those songs it did click with me right away. Maybe sometimes it just takes time.
Anyway, recently I added their track “Firecracker” to the Some Will Never Know #2 mixtape. So if you liked that track (or are already familiar with the band), you already know why I loved it so much. It’s passionate and energetic punk rock. Great melodies and vocal lines. Poppy, but with a raw edge. You’ll be singing along in no time.
The 7″ opens with that very song, “Firecracker”. The intro always reminds me of Blink 182. I know that is going to throw people off, but I mean it in a good way. I actually didn’t know what track to put up with this post, “Razors” or this one. In the end I went with “Razors” because I already included “Firecracker” with the mixtape. But those two are the highlights of this 7″ for sure. “Razors” is close to a perfect song. Great bassline, awesome vocals, lots of energy and a great singalong. “RAZORS NEVER DIE!”. Just listen to it and you know what I mean. The other two songs are “Missing You” and “When Will It End”, both a bit more down and haunting.
This record just has a lot of heart, no matter how cliché that sounds. The other keyword is catchy. Damn catchy.
Monsula – Razors
The LP version may sound a bit better and more clear but it also lacks a bit of the passion and energy this version has if you ask me.
There are a couple on Ebay too right now, so go pick up your own copy.
I’m not going to say that in hindsight that Monsula record was the best 7″ in the package, but it for sure got a lot more spins than the Inside Out / Youth Of Today bootleg.
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