Northbound - 'The Flaws In Everything' (EP Review)

I've been a big fan of Northbound for a few years now. Their album Death Of A Slug was this sites number one album the year it came out. With EP, Trigger Release, and a re-release of 'Death Of A Slug' under their belts Northbound is back with new EP, The Flaws In Everything. This EP has been on my most anticipated list since it was announced.

After a few listens the five tracks show some good progression as well as giving fans a couple of the more classic sounding Northbound songs. "Suitor Type" is a great slice of emo/punk with some really nice sounding guitars. It's a song that I think will definitely be a fan favorite. I think this is one of the best songs on the album, lyrically, while featuring the title lyrics in it. The song honestly has some of my favorite lyrics that Jonathan Fraser has ever written.

"Well Water" has more of a 90s grunge sound and it recalls some Nirvana In Utero sounding guitars style wise. It sounds like it would go over nicely live and I think it shows some maturity in the songwriting, as well. "Lonely Squid" is an acoustic song that has Fraser sounding a lot like Ace Enders from the classic era of The Early November. It's a big standout for me and one of my favorite songs from the EP. There is a lot of melody and charm in the vocals. I also think the lyrics are really good on the song and showcased quite nicely with the guitar. "Tell Me Something Good" has these really great somber guitars that remind me of something that you might hear on Brand New's The Devil And God... that builds into these heavy sludgy, almost grunge sounding guitar moments. I think the lyrics and music work so well together, which adds this big, emotional impact to the song. It's a great closer for the EP.

Overall, this is another great release from Northbound. It lives up to the hype I had for it. It's strong lyrically, well thought out, and I think the instrumentation is done exceptionally well. This band should be on your list of bands to know as they're going to continue to build a bigger and bigger fan base. I'll listen to this EP a lot this year and I would definitely recommend checking it out. I'm excited to see where they go next.