EP Review: Because You’ve Been Good

Waiheke Island four-piece Trauma Party have been making plenty of noise on the student radio charts lately, and they’ve packed that energy into their new four track EP, Because You’ve Been Good. If you look at the album art with its bright neon green background and a single white pill – you get a good idea of what they’re about: clean, sharp, and straight to the point.

The EP opens with Are We In Heaven. This tune has urgency, featuring half-spoken lyrics over smooth backing vocals. It has a cool, slightly eerie undertone that almost feels like an old-school 60s rock tune. The absolute highlight is an epic, funky guitar breakdown about a minute and a half in, which builds up massive tension before slamming back into the verse. It’s gritty, dissonant, and miles away from the pop sound of track one.

Following the opening track is Speak To Me, which kicks off with a really catchy, pop-style guitar riff and a classic ‘hey hey’ vocal intro. Frontman Buddy Olson’s vocals sound a lot like modern British rock – think The Clash meets the Kaiser Chiefs. It’s got a really lively drum beat and cool layers of echoing guitars and call-and-response vocals. To be honest, it feels a lot more like a straight up indie-pop track than moody post-punk, but it’s an easy listen.

Track three, Sharks, slides right back into that polished pop-rock territory. It’s got a bouncy drum beat and plenty of that clean, echoing guitar tone. The melody here is great, and the backing vocals are top-notch, contrasting nicely against the rougher, grunge-style main vocals. While it’s a brilliant standalone single, it might be a bit too safe to show what the band can really do when they get heavy.

The best track on the whole release is definitely the closer, Roll Up (It’s The New Truth). The band finally ditches the clean echo effects, steps on the distortion pedals, and delivers some real grit. It’s a slower, heavier tune with a bit of genuine anger behind it, moving into a fantastic rolling 6/8 time signature that sets it apart from the straight 4/4 beats on the rest of the EP. This is where they sound best.

If you’re expecting blistering, 170bpm skate-punk that gets your blood pumping and makes you want to smash things, this mid-tempo indie style might feel a bit tame. But if you appreciate solid songwriting, catchy hooks, and clean production, Because You’ve Been Good is a bloody good EP from a hardworking local band.