The album art - complete with a trashed car - embodies the album's punk attitude. (Photo via partisanrecords.com)

Nevertheless, the band has already garnered widespread attention: winning the NME Best Music Video Award for “Nerve Endings,” the lead single off the new album, the band defeated a field of more prevalent nominees, including indie rock heavyweights Arcade Fire and the seemingly unavoidable Pharrell Williams.

Invited to play a Pitchfork showcase at the eminent SXSW music festival, Eagulls can only expect their popularity to continue to grow, especially after the release of their forcefully dynamic self-titled debut album.

Epitomizing the punk spirit, angry and loud and raw, “Eagulls” is an apologetically angst-driven album. From the opening track, “Nerve Endings,” which, according to singer George Mitchell, is about the struggles of anxiety, to the final song, “Soulless Youth” – whose sardonic title alone characterizes the album – the band’s fury never ebbs. 

In particular, “Fester / Blister” (again with an overtly punky title), is a palpable expression of this aggression as the singer screams mostly unintelligible lyrics over a wall of sound, becoming an anthem for head bangers everywhere. Likewise, the pounding drum backbeat layered with the distorted (or some might say noisy) guitars of “Hollow Visions” prove that “Eagulls” – a clear derivative of the hardcore subgenre – particularly with the yelled, strained vocals comparable to those of Minor Threat – is not an album for the casual listener.

However, despite the heaviness of the record, some of the more melodious tracks are undeniably catchy and traditionally rhythmic. Both “Opaque” and “Tough Luck” utilize undistorted guitars and bass to create songs that lean towards a cleaner, alt-rock sound comparable to Interpol (excepting, of course, the singing, or rather, screaming).

In addition to the traces of these other hardcore and post-punk bands in the album, Sonic Youth emerges as an obvious influence on Eagulls’ sound, especially in the track “Yellow Eyes.” Furthermore, the dominance of the bass and drums in “Footsteps” creates a tone extremely similar to that of “Kool Thing,” probably the best-known song off Sonic Youth’s classic “Goo.” 

Obviously, as a debut album, Eagulls have room for improvement in creating, perhaps, a more original sound but definitely in refining their songwriting skills. While most of the vocals are too indistinct to be intelligible, the lyrics that are comprehensible lack sophistication; in numerous tracks, and especially “Possessed” and “Amber Veins,” the repeated yelling of the song title throughout the songs is tiresome.

Yet, despite these minor downfalls, “Eagulls” is a solid debut, energetic and commanding as a whole. Certainly, Eagulls have great potential, potential that experience on the road supporting this new album will hopefully help them unleash on a sophomore effort. 

Read more of NT’s album reviews here.

Reach Staff Reporter Ashley Hawkins here.