Eagulls

Editors’ Notes There’s nothing quite like British postpunk anger, and the Leeds-based twentysomethings in Eagulls—who rail against their perennially grey skies and drudging nine-to-five existence—provide both a voice and an escape for young people everywhere. Elements of Killing Joke (whom they’ve covered in the past), Joy Division, The Clash, Gang of Four, and countless British bands flow through their agitated veins. Their 2013 U.K. single “Nerve Endings”—now the opening track on their self-titled debut album—finds frontman George Mitchell in full mental freakout, noting his self-loathing is “growing worse each day and night.” The band join him like an angry gang supporting one of its own on tracks such as “Tough Luck” and “Amber Veins,” where the outrage spreads to drugs leading to birth defects and heroin addicts. Of course, figuring out the source of the band’s disgust takes patience or serious research. The accents are thick; this adds to the raw, brittle attack. In truth, it’s reaffirming to hear a band more interested in expressing their frustrations than finding ways to make nice.