22nd March 2020

Review: “Hate. Relate. Regenerate.” EP Livonia

Milton Keynes and London based quintet Livonia have spent the last year chipping away at their debut EP like stone masons, getting assistance from John at Outhouse Studios for the recording and mixing. Taking a tea pot and throwing in the influential leaves of Pop-Punk and Alternative Rock before adding hot water and a pinch of their own gritty integrity “Hate. Relate. Regenerate.” is three tracks proper and an intro that may well kick off their live shows in the not too distant future. Originally inked way back when by an 18 year old James Bates, first track proper “Snake Song” is about people who are willing to undermine you to get ahead. What happened to unity and friendship? When then chips are down there are plenty of snakes in the grass. Vocally quintessentially English accented which should go down well Stateside, while the guitar work has that skater punk energy with a clean tone that allows the vocals to shine. There is a level of aggression lyrically that isn’t matched musically with the understated style of the bands music instead offering zesty bright riffs and gang chants while the use of profanity will probably fall off in future works.

One of those songs that clearly has someone’s name attached to it while pointing a fickle finger, “Blame Away” is about someone who blames everyone else but themselves for their mistakes. We all know someone like that in some shape or form and that makes it easy to relate to. Garage rock riffs in bouncy clean tones brighten the place up like a fresh paint job and it could happily be a song on a Kerrang! cover CD or on Planet Rock radio. “Talking” was released six months before the EP and has a catchy chorus and guitar hook with meaningful lyrics that touch on Mental Health without going in too deep. If you’re a fan of bands like Veridian, Panic At The Disco or The Story So Far then you’re going to love this [7/10]

Track listing