They’re a weird bunch, We Are Carnivores. As if the seemingly unexplainable title of their new EP wasn’t enough of a giveaway, there are also tracks with titles like I’m Not An Alcoholic, I Just Collect Bottles and at one point, a mid-song skit about being on hold with an energy provider. But where a band like The Hell’s confluence of quirkiness and mundanity is set to a hardcore template, We Are Carnivores deal in mathy riffs and ultra-tight vocal harmonies, putting them somewhere between Press To MECO and very early Don Broco. And like both of those bands, Theodor’s A Don, Bro is infectious as hell.
There’s just something about this band that shouldn’t work, but clicks so emphatically. As jagged and off-kilter as they are, there’s still a hint of accessibility that prevents We Are Carnivores from completely alienating an audience, like the thudding, almost dancey beat of the title track, and overt pop sensibilities of You Can’t Argue With Sharks. What’s more, even when these more mainstream elements come into play, they’re never hackneyed in, embracing the same mathy style as the rest of the track, rather than just crowbarring a shiny, polished chorus in.
As is to be expected with a sound as obtuse as this, Theodor’s A Don, Bro does occasionally lose its way – the scratchy, underweight guitar that runs through You Can’t Argue With Sharks feels like a constant niggle that never goes away, and I’m Not An Alcoholic, I Just Collect Bottles frequently feels as though it falls away from its structure. But other than that, everything is surprisingly solid. We Are Carnivores often prove on this EP how adept they are at actually keeping to a single direction despite the spasmodic nature of their sound, and it really does work in their favour throughout.
And at only four tracks long, it’s a crucial component in demonstrating why We Are Carnivores are such an interesting proposition. With bands like ZOAX and Press To MECO carving out their own little niches in the Britrock landscape, there’s not reason why this band couldn’t join them as the poppier alternative, more in tune with mainstream sensibilities. That might be a way off yet – there are still a few creases to iron out yet – but if Theodor’s A Don, Bro shows anything, it’s that a pivot towards greater things is an all too real possibility.
7/10
For fans of: Press To MECO, Don Broco, Reuben
Words by Luke Nuttall
‘Theodor’s A Don, Bro’ by We Are Carnivores is released on 22nd July.
