EP REVIEW: ‘Fight To Survive’ by Cold Summer

With Funeral For A Friend currently preparing to take their final bow, the last tie to the early-2000s’ golden age of UK post-hardcore is primed to be severed. Though despite this, a scene of new talent seems to be emerging from the woodwork, ready to lead Britain into a new post-hardcore renaissance. And while Cold Summer may only be relative newcomers to such a scene, they show a whole load of potential on new EP Fight To Survive.

The purpose of these six tracks seem to be to emulate type of post-hardcore that the UK excelled at over a decade ago. Ragged, rough-around-the-edges riffs drive these tracks, with Dan Feast’s throaty screams and muscular cleans on the likes of Bear Eats Wolf adding even more of a rawness. There’s nothing really novel on offer, and over-familiarity becomes a slight issue at points, but the likes of Car Crash (In Progress) and the slamming chorus of Coins Fall (But Don’t Make It) pack in a fair bit more substance and teeth than a lot of today’s crop of British bands.

For a new band, Cold Summer certainly have a firm grasp on what they’re doing. Fight To Survive is a noticeably focused EP, resulting in a tightness that never sacrifices any sort of bite. It keeps the balance between melodic and abrasive without ever going too far in either direction. It’s very reminiscent of the likes of the aforementioned Funeral For A Friend, and even on occasion, bands like Alexisonfire, especially in closer Something, Nothing, No One.

There’s still a bit of a naïve streak to Cold Summer yet though – screams sometimes feel strained and don’t pack the impact that they should, and a formula does begin to make itself known as the EP progresses. But these are issues that can easily be rectified with time – right now, Cold Summer have an incredibly stable foundation to build on, and plenty of potential to do just that. If the post-hardcore rebirth is indeed coming, don’t expect this lot to stay underground for long.

7/10

For fans of: Funeral For A Friend, Hell Is For Heroes, Million Dead
Words by Luke Nuttall

‘Fight To Survive’ by Cold Summer is released on 1st April.