Spiritual Cramp - "Police State' EP

Spiritual Cramp are a Post-Punk band based out of San Francisco.  They made their debut last year with their short yet intense "Mass Hysteria" EP. And while I wasn't at first too wild about this EP, as it isn't as dark as I usually like my Post Punk, it's actually grown on me quite a bit. Where this EP lacks in that dark atmosphere, it absolutely glows in personality and truly wild performances.  It's much more artsy and eccentric than most Post Punk albums or EP's these days, and it's actually an absolute blast.  Spiritual Cramp are back, and from the sound of this opening single, the boys are just about where they should be right now.  Let's chat about this !

This short but impactful EP starts off with "Spiritual Cramp".  This is a wild, Punky start, and Spiritual Cramp are at their most blistering.  And honestly, it excites the hell out of me.  The riffs are crunchy, and I love how Michael Bingham is practically throwing up these words by screaming them so harshly.  But man, does it ever work, and it ushers in their sound wonderfully.  It's Post-Punk, but it has a danceability to it that I can't deny.  Then we have "850 Bryant" which out of nowhere has this awesome Dub Reggae groove to it, with all of these announcements being played over it.  And it works really well, especially with just how much of a polar opposite this EP's opener was.  Michael Bingham sounds very chilled out here, even cool, and the sort of Dance Punk vibes shine on in a big way.  That, alongside some slick guitar riffs and a very political vibe makes this one work.  But just prepare yourself, because it's far from the band's sound.  " I Feel Bad Bein’ Me" however, really cranks things up once again.  I feel like while this started out as a Post Punk project we've almost completely fizzled into a very Artsy Dance Punk album.  To the point where I can almost see fans of Wire being really into this.  This one is easily the freakiest track here, with some seriously wild licks that are totally out there.  But it doesn't stop having this political edge to it, and the ferocity certainly hasn't left.  I really love how versatile this EP and Spiritual Cramp in general are.  This EP ends off with "Blood Clot", and this one is infinitely more concise and easy to pinpoint.  I love just how nocturnal and truly dark this one is.  And that's just made more prominent by this once again very freaky performance by Michael.  This is Spiritual Cramp at their most focused and aggravated, and "Blood Clot" may just be the most all-around Punk tune here.  There's something very old school about the material here, and I would be lying if I said I wasn't completely eating it up.  Not to mention, it has this fantastic chorus I can't get enough of.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F83ZnpajaOA

Rating: 8.1/10

Genre: Post-Punk / Dance Punk

Overall Thoughts: Spiritual Cramp on this 11 minute EP do more for the Post and Dance-Punk genres than most acts in the game right now.  In 4 tracks, this EP travels from Dub Reggae to Old School grimy Punk.  The performances are manic and extremely urgent, and there are few moments here where I'm not completely excited to hear what these guys do next.  Also, the versatility of this band is just so freakin' interesting, I can't wait to hear these guys in full album mode.  What's next boys?