There’s nothing particularly complicated behind the messages in Empty Lungs‘ new EP Don‘t Get It. Throughout the album’s short ten minutes, the Belfast based punk trio attempt to tell off the kind of pop culture that they deem makes young people think self image is the core of society. Sonically, the album is structured with basic, but fun, punk tracks.
In the title track, the band plays fast and loud, occasionally singing over each other and jeering each other on in the backing vocals. We hear the band chant the song title over and over again, making a point that they don‘t get it, that a lot of life makes no sense and some kinds of people really suck. When we get to the second track, Empty Lung takes their time. “Losing It. Finding It,” opens up with a sentiment about being exhausted. It then opens up into a relaxed, ’90s post punk, slightly emo melody. “Losing It. Finding It,” is almost a dance track, the drumming moving at a beat that makes you want to do more than bop your head in a mosh pit.
Don‘t Get It tries to take a lot on. Ultimately, it’s a decent piece of music that works hard to get a message the band thinks is very important across. The album’s strongest points are not so much in the lyrics and more in the guitar work. Empty Lung knows how to write a good guitar line and craft a pop punk drum beat in a palatable way. Don‘t Get It wants to say a lot about the state of youth culture, something that thousands of punk bands have done before. They’re almost there.
Keep up with the band here.
