In what's already been a solid year for punk releases, Lipona's new self-released EP, Pigeonholed might fall under the radar to most listeners but if you do come across it, I would strongly suggest giving it a listen. Pigeonholed is a short but sweet EP of some nicely executed punk rock with a bit of a hardcore edge. The lyrics are probably the most noticeable aspect when you listen to this record as they reflect on the band's views towards the current music industry, pop culture, and moral ethics. They definitely don't hold back with how they write and deliver these lyrics and it's a very redeeming quality on this EP.
Lipona makes good use of all seventeen minutes of this EP by delivering solid melodies, strong lyrics, and fairly impressive musicianship on each track. Beginning immediately on the opening track, "Beginning the Dynamite Era" which starts with soft guitar build-up and develops into a punk anthem. The harmonization of the lines "Our whole lives wasted / We never traced it / Back to ourselves, back to the choices made" in the chorus and the gang vocals in the bridge really drive this song and make it an excellent starter to Pigeonholed. The next track, "Tragedy of the Commons" changes things up a little bit, as this is more in vein of a fast-paced melodic hardcore track. "Hawks" and "Reverberations" show Lipona playing their style of anthemic punk rock that was exhibited on the first track, and this is what they're most comfortable playing. "Reverberations" does feature some great hooks and a well-done bridge that makes this track somewhat memorable.
The one curve-ball they throw at you is the acoustic track, "Shooty Hoops." This is arguably the most noticeable track on the record and it's also probably the weakest. It suffers from being somewhat cheesy and being out of place with the other songs on the EP. One positive thing is the lyrics that tell a story of the band's negative attitude towards mainstream music and media.
For what it is, Pigeonholed is a solid punk EP to add on to this year and it might go unnoticed to a lot. I'd say it's definitely worth your time if you are curious or just want to find some new punk releases late in the year. The band is even giving this away for free on their web site, so if you want to give them a chance, the opportunity is there.
