Towards the end of 2023, Leicester’s Our Souls released ‘I Won’t Tell You The Same Lie’, a five track blast of indie punk that valued high octane sounds, and also demonstrated some sharp but pleasingly ragged playing. In approximately fifteen minutes, the DIY release showed why the band made perfect label-mates with the hugely prolific Das Kapitans and garage punk heroes Get The Fuck Outta Dodge.
Released two years later, ‘DIY Misery’ shares many of the same punk-ish traits but, if anything, shows off a slightly more confident band. This comes through during the intro of ‘Those Old Haunts (The Earworm)’ which presents a bright sounding lead guitar over a dancing bassline, introducing a very early 90s alternative element to the band’s punky sound. Moving into the verse, a huge, speed driven riff reintroces the full throttle punk via a dominant guitar, but beneath the wall of sound, it’s still possible to hear a brilliantly complex bass, and this goes a long way to giving the Our Souls sound a massive lift. When the brighter sound from the intro returns to link the verse and chorus, it becomes clearer that the melodic elements here are drawn from classic Lawrence Arms works, as well as sharing a smidgeon of love for ‘Flip Your Wig’ era Husker Du, at which point, fans of melodic punk should be utterly sold. Chorus-wise, the number features a rousing hook, but despite the title’s claim of “earworm”, it might take two or three plays to stick. This is largely due to the musical arrangement feeling a little more immediate than the lyric, but that said, when this number stops dead – somewhat unexpectedly – just shy of the two minute mark, chances are you’ll feel a little taken aback and feeling like you really needed to hear the musical hook one more time. Despite potentially selling itself a little short in that regard, it’s still a great opener, and one that shows off Our Souls as a great musical unit.
With a touch more melody, the EP’s highlight ‘Last Life’ crashes in with a punky rhythm, dominated by a loud drum part, but adds a lot of musical interest, first with the help of a descending guitar riff, then with the arrival of a really busy musical hook. Over a backdrop that introduces a couple of China Drum-ish riffs against the usual punky fare, the vocal adopts a natural tone but the music continues to suggest Our Souls are a cut above the usual lo-fi punks. Things don’t fizzle out early, either; following a more standard sounding punk-fuelled verse, a rousing gang vocal shares a simple hook, while well placed bridge sections lean into more of a post-punk/noisy indie vibe that suits the band brilliantly.
Sliding into something with more a knockabout vibe, the love for the Huskers comes to the fore once more during the opening of ‘Glaswegian Blood, Yorkshire Heart, Leicester Lad (Chin Up Mate!)’ – musically, if never lyrically – before changing tack to introduce more of a drum heavy sound and another round of gang vocals. At the point where you think Our Souls have reached their punky peak, the noisier elements fall away to reveal a brilliantly played lead guitar that shares a really fat melody, which helps to drive the latter part of the track, before eventually slowing to present something that sounds as if it’ll power an old school hardcore breakdown. Things never really take off in that department; instead Our Souls – knowing not to overstretch an arrangement – bow out with things on a high, allowing the noisy indie punk intro of ‘Boxer’ to show off yet another of their musical facets. Once the rhythm kicks in, this number continues to showcase the more melodic aspects of Our Souls, with post hardcore riffs on loan from Mission of Burma, colliding with more great punk in the Leatherface mould. As with the greatest Our Souls tunes, there’s more at stake than jagged riffs, and here, a warm bass pokes its head through some tight punky riffs, and quieter moments give a ringing guitar tone an opportunity to shine. Although this is more of a platform for great music than immediate hooks, time will uncover a track that has the potential to be one of the Leicester band’s finest.
In some ways, the EP peaks with that track – but the musical ride up until then is definitely worth the price of admission. Not that the remaining numbers are in any way substandard: ‘Bands Are Stupid (Into The Shredder)’ introduces a bigger element of fun set against more of a grinding riff, coupled with a piercing lead break. With lyrics about “wasting life” on collecting limited editions, and whether punk “is a culture”, it’s a track that aims to bite the hand that feeds, and is perhaps a little too knowing. That said, with the aid of a couple of great riffs and an instant attention grabber of a hook that involves shouty vocals and a “fucking sad!” refrain, there will be fans who totally love this sneering, self aware number. Rounding out the release, the brilliantly titled ‘I’ve Only Got A Provisional Poetic Licence’ captures the band in more of a crashy post-punk mode, blending elements of Leatherface with something that sounds like a Sugar deep cut, only really retaining the shouty vocals from previous Our Souls workouts. Despite the slight change in tone and tempo here, it’s a number that works well – allowing an angst-fuelled vocal to contrast brilliantly with some strong melodic punk chops. Those who’ve followed Our Souls’ progress to date are likely to take to this immediately, and this more tuneful approach allows the EP to wind down very naturally.
On this EP, Our Souls bring the riffs, but more importantly, when the material really hits, they show off a gift for a well placed, angst ridden hook. The band’s chiefly American influences play very well in tandem with their English accented delivery, and the whole package showcases musicians who clearly really feel the power in their material. Played in tandem with their previous EP, ‘DIY Misery’ shows a band who’ve grown, but heard as a stand-alone venture, its short and sharp attack befits the material even more effectively. For fans of DIY punk, this is definitely worth checking out.
October 2025