Sitting somewhere in the middle of punk and metal are Canadian band the Poles and their single “Merman” highlights their chosen musical direction in the best lo-fi tradition. Accordingly, these two songs are available as a vinyl single.
Onwards and upwards to the music. Canadian, American it’s all the same to me and the Poles pull from the usual influences to keep those riffs rolling. “Merman” is, for the most part, a by the numbers song with near indecipherable vocals and a definite affinity for maximum volume. Not everything is standard though as the splashy and untidy guitar solo that really sells this song seems more driven by a desire to go with the flow than prove some pyrotechnical point.
Rather more oblique is “Pest”. Again it’s a conventional start but the song then very nearly goes out of control by the half-way point. You can’t argue with that sort of enthusiasm.
You might well have heard many a band perform this kind of song before but the Poles have an anarchic enthusiasm working in their favour. That, I hope, bodes well for their future.
The single is available from Bandcamp.