So here’s the deal. You are going on a family road trip and everyone is picking their music for the journey. They look over at you with fear and dread in their eyes as they know what your taste in music is like. You look up, smile and say, “It’s ok, I’ve got just the thing. It’s not too heavy and it’s only five tracks, so even if you don’t like it, which you will, you won’t have to suffer for too long.”
This EP (shame it’s not a full album, but use that to your advantage) could become your best friend on this trip. Enough to give you a rock fix, but not so much to get you banned from playing music on future adventures.
For me, this is created for the masses. It will appeal to many. Even with the harder hitting guitar riffs that open the tracks I Confess and Ms Death, when the vocals come in they take on a certain smoothness.
So who are JO BELOW?
JO BELOW are a four piece ‘modern classic rock’ band from Finland. Lead vocalist Johanna Kari, guitarist Roni Seppänen, bassist Jonne Lindqvist and drummer Olli Vartiainen make up the group.
This EP was released on April 16th via Inverse Records. It’s a good all rounder, has a bit of everything…in just a handful of tracks. This follows on from their last EP By The Rules, another five track blast of what they are capable of.
My pick from this five is the title track. It opens with a nice, catchy guitar lick. The lyrics are about a mixed up relationship, however, I find it takes me back to the road trip theme. For some reason, the tune has me thinking of driving through great open spaces in the US with the sun beating down on my Mustang convertible, whilst I sing along at the top of my voice (not pleasant for others in earshot, but something I love to do). It just has that kind of feel to it.
I really like this latest creation from JO BELOW. It leaves me wanting more. After two five track EP’s, hopefully a full album will arrive in the not too distant future. We have had a couple of sips from the glass, we like the taste, next can we have the whole bottle please?
Rating: 8/10
Words: Dave Jones
No Control is out now.
Find JO BELOW on Facebook.
