SHORT BUT SWEET: TUSSK — “PAR T. ANIMAL”

 

(Andy Synn reviews a new two-song offering by Tussk from Staffordshire, England.)

So last Friday I played my first show of 2015 with Beyond Grace, alongside fellow Nottingham natives The Five Hundred (think a more melodically-inclined Lamb of God) and The Winter Hill Syndicate (melodic/metallic/misanthropic hardcore), and bewhiskered Staffordshire riff-mongers Tussk… and it’s the latter band I’ve come here to talk about today.

Now Tussk don’t claim to be reinventing the wheel in the slightest, and their whiskey-soaked strut and shimmy certainly bears more than a few similarities to the cock-sure chaos of Every Time I Die… but after knocking back a couple of heavy doses of their high-proof, high-voltage riffery, each one accompanied by a chaser of smooth, bluesy swagger, I doubt it will matter to you whether you’ve been down this road before or not… what’s important is who’s doing the driving!

The band’s debut EP, Par T. Animal, is available right now for free download from their Bandcamp page, and its two tracks – “Jazz Hammer” and “Double Drag Queen” – are packed to the gills with buzzing, bludgeoning riffs and punch-drunk percussion, displaying an impressive balance of jumpin’ jack flash energy and sleazy, moonshine melody amongst the clattering drums, caterwauling vocals, and raucous, hip-thrusting riffs.

Short, sharp, and oh so sweet… if you’re looking for music to get down and dirty to, then you’ve come to the right place.

Bandcamp stream below… plus music videos for each of the two songs.

https://tussk.bandcamp.com/album/par-t-animal
https://www.facebook.com/TusskBand