Call it emo. Call it hardcore or screamo or emo-core or hardcore-pop-punk-rock. Whatever it is you want to call it, rest assured Matchbook Romance's new EP 'West For Wishing' is one of the best fifteen minutes of it you'll have heard in a while. The band have been working non stop since forming from the ashes of various other bands. They are shameless self promoters who harnessed the Internet as the powerful marketing tool that it is, forming such a solid fan base that Epitaph practically had no choice but to get in early and sign the guys before they got too big.

If there's one opening track on any CD that will grab your attention, their stunning opener 14 Balloons is gonna be the one. Clocking in at just over one minute, it's a perfect introduction to the band's amazing sound and intensity. The rest of the disc is faultless though, distilling a range of influences and styles into five amazing tracks. Vocalist Andrew Jordan proves he's more than just a screamer on The Greatest Fall (Of All Time), backed by some amazing double-pedal bass drum courtesy of Aaron Stern. Farewell To Friends is a more punk sort of song, but the highlight is the final track Save Yourself, where the band displays their amazing songwriting talents, leaving you desperate for more - and hopefully we won't have to wait long, with a full length album on the way. Matchbook Romance have so much more than it takes - there's so many successful bands out there who are nowhere near these guys.

Ryan Smith

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