EP review: CRASHFACE – HEAVY INFECTIOUS

This five-track debut EP from London’s CRASHFACE hits like a splash of battery acid. Formed in early 2020, core duo Charlie Hinton (vocals/guitar) and Otto Balfour (bass) formulated their musical maelstrom in the pressure-cooker of COVID lockdown and it shows: anger, uncertainty and sheer pent-up frustration are etched indelibly into their chaotic sound. They claim to have been brought together by a shared love of all things loud, but there’s plenty dissonant, discordant and downright mind-bending going on here, too.

Pivotally, they don’t slack on the INFECTIOUS side of HEAVY INFECTIOUS. Opening with a wry sample ('Oh my god, he’s so hurt') and the sound of as gunshot, ultraplanetplastickiller comes on like Nine Inch Nails starting a bar-fight with Gallows, yet you’ll find yourself tapping toes and banging heads within its 151-second span. Molotov Smile burns with internalised menace and packs industrial heft, but it’s carried-off with almost indie-rock swagger. Loading Screen Infinity feels like heavier-end, latter-day Bring Me The Horizon, draping its expansive sound over stadium-sized hooks.

Arguably the most straightforward song on show, COLD, loads a gargantuan main riff with pure gunpowder, then as its compelling chronicle of self-destructive jealousy plays out, it reveals a poppy lightness of touch. And, rolling in on a high-energy bassline, You’re The Worst Thing That’s Ever Happened To Me might be the longest song on show here at a shade over four minutes, but it’s utterly dedicated to burning out rather than fading away.

‘I fell in love with a vending machine!’ Charlie snarls as HEAVY INFECTIOUS races to the finish line. ‘It’s a motherfucking tragedy!’ Technologically provocative. Gleefully absurdist. Delivered with unequivocal venom. It’s a powerful encapsulation of why CRASHFACE are perfect candidates to catch fire right here, right now.

Verdict: 3/5

For fans of: Black Futures, FEVER 333, Bring Me The Horizon

HEAVY INFECTIOUS is out now via