After releasing five ever more accomplished singles over the last few years, Lindenhurst, NY band Sharp Violet deliver their first EP - 'On Scenic Lake Copiague' - a 14 minute blast of riot grrrl punk and rock from the shores of Long Island. 'On Scenic Lake Copiague' has six tracks of buzzsaw guitars, pounding rhythms and charged vocals that show off the band's committed musical attack and outlook on life and that provides a short, sharp shock to listeners. You won't find any virtuosic playing on the EP, but you will get a tight, well-drilled outfit with the songs and attitude to impress.
Kicking in with 'Caffeine', the EP gets off to a rolling, tumbling start with a tune as energising as its title would suggest and the record continues in pugnacious mood with the stomping choruses and 'take no nonsense' lyrics of 'Violet, You're Turning Violent'. Things then expand on this punky start with Sharp Violet showing their pop smarts with a cover of Blondie's 'Hanging On The Telephone' and even more so with 'Boys And Candy' which mixes an infectious riff with a smidgen of 'classic rock' (perhaps a la the most famous former pupil of Lindenhurst Senior High - Pat Benatar). It's the catchiest tune on the EP and would be a shoo-in for mainstream radio, all bar the 'pay-off' line reflecting Liz's boredom with it all! The slow, brooding 'Green-Eyed Monster' is next, musically again mirroring the title and the lyrics of jealousy and insecurity, while the closing track 'Night Witches' - telling the story of Russian female fighter pilots during WWII - with its tempo changes from slightly dark verses leading into full-on charging choruses brings the EP to a finish in fine fashion.
'On Scenic Lake Copiague' shows Sharp Violet (Liz Schopp - Vocals, Jessica Sapphire - Lead Guitar, Alli Sondergard - Rhythm Guitar, Marie Tornetto - Bass and C-Roll Diamond - Drums) in excellent form and is a great debut long-form release. With the roots and branches of an evolving sound and songwriting in place, the next release from Sharp Violet could be very good indeed. This EP in the meantime should keep everybody happy until then.
'On Scenic Lake Copiague' is available from Sharp Violet's Bandcamp page - www.sharpviolet.bandcamp.com - and all other major digital sites.