EP REVIEW: So Far So Good – So Far So Good

‘…a ferociously fresh take on hardcore that leans into the pure danceability of the scene’s sound…’

So Far So Good are a five-piece heavy outfit based out of London, emerging in September of last year from the ashes of a prior musical project known as ACID HOUND. Immediately getting down to business, the band set about tearing up sweaty alternative venues all over England, from Brighton to Bristol to Liverpool, with a vicious debut EP to back it up in the form of ‘THE FURTHEST FROM GOOD‘.

Yet even with such solid foundations, it is incredibly impressive just how the band have managed to expand, refine, and improve their sound for their eponymous sophomore EP. The blossoming ideas that were present on ‘THE FURTHEST FROM GOOD’ now manifest as fully-fledged slabs of inventive and wickedly catchy hardcore that put titans of the scene to shame.

The assault on the senses commences with ‘Starved 4 Connection’, with juggernaut riffs thrashing about atop of brilliantly groovy rhythms. The guitars and vocals dropping out to place the focus on the bass and percussion is an electrifying moment, and dropping the band’s own name during the final onslaught is undeniably cool. Follow-up ‘Cheap Roses’ makes for blistering listening experience as it surges between frantic screams and haunting melodies thanks to Izabel Lavin’s (rozemary, Demeanour) guest feature. The spoken word build up into one final disgusting breakdown is the sonic equivalent of being lowered into the flow of an active volcano: utterly incendiary.

‘No Love Lost’ pulses with a rampantly infectious energy, rhythmically bludgeoning your brain’s dopamine circuits to hit you with a incomparable urge to dance or spin-kick the nearest passerby, or even perhaps do both simultaneously. The house elements that are incorporated are reminiscent of some of Bodyweb’s work, or perhaps even classic Enter Shikari. ‘Hangnail’, despite being released eight months ago, more than deserves its place on this fantastic collection. The opening verse is delivered with a crushing, venomous emotive weight, and it is easy to imagine your favourite sweaty basement venue packed with people chanting it back at the band. The ambient styled bridge, combined with the soft breakbeat percussion, is a wonderfully ethereal breath before the plunge into a wonderfully bleak, bruising climax.

It is all capped off perfectly with the brutally cathartic ‘Salt Water’, which pushes the band into their heaviest state yet. If this EP is a sign of things to come, then the future for So Far So Good is certain to be bright; this is a ferociously fresh take on hardcore that leans into the pure danceability of the scene’s sound whilst keeping things delightfully violent. This is one EP that is definitely going to leave a mark.

RATING: 83/100 – Very Good

For Fans Of: rozemary, Bodyweb, Enter Shikari, Knocked Loose, Long Goodbye, Prozpekt

Physical copies of the record are available to purchase here.

Follow the band on social media below:

Instagram // Bandcamp // Twitter