Elastic Dinosaur comprise of lead singer and guitarist, Cory Foster, bass guitar player Ben Gardner and drummer Sam Tempest.

That isn’t a Ringo Star type of deal either, Sam Tempest is the drummer’s real name. Good start boys.

Originally from Accrington and the neighbouring villages of Hyndburn, Lancashire, this very heavy rock – metal rock influenced, apathetic trio are a shining example of how young, unsigned, emerging British rock bands still develop and pioneer the multitude of sub-genres we have in rock music today.

The name of the band, and the titles of the songs on the Elastic Dinosaur EP, at first glance, could only ever really leave us listeners with the sense of the band’s rebellion towards labelling, or worrying about names and titles and other trivial things like track-listing formats and conformity.

Like millennial punk or ‘gen-X’ grunge. Whatever their mindset, naming the first track of the EP ‘Whiskey Dick’ says it all. Nutters!

 The song is just awesome, whatever they’ve called it!

A more relevant title would have been ‘Breathe Me In’ as they are the words that are repeated in the lyrics of the very catchy chorus.

The song starts without anything other than the bass player, Ben Gardner, shouting ‘oh there’s a packet of Starburst down there’ in his very staunch northern accent. Brilliant.

Then, all of a sudden, my ears are hit with the lush crying screech of Cory’s guitar, singing some sort of instantly funky melody.

Ben’s bass guitar then begins to bounce accordingly and within no time at all an almighty bang from the cow-bell, double kick drum ladened beat machine, Sam ‘with-the-cool-name’ Tempest, crashing in with a vengeance like a furious teenage Dave Grohl.

Sam, by the way, is the ripe old age of seventeen. Seventeen! If he plays like this now, what will he sound like in his prime?

The track titles go on, in varying degrees of silliness or irrelevance, but the music is tight and raw and heart felt throughout.

There is no denying that. The production of the whole piece is uniformed and thoughtful, similar frequencies have been adhered to, referencing each of the other tracks on the EP to ensure they all flow and sound in-keeping as a whole piece.

The same could also be said for the themes and musical keys used throughout, there seems to be a similar vibe to each song, while somehow sounding completely unique and varied.

Almost like the band, and producers, have created a sort of ‘pattern recognition’ within the whole sound.

All-in-all, ‘The Elastic Dinosaur’ EP is very good. It’s stylistic, in-keeping with the traditions of rock and yet delivers an apathetic, cool sound – a sort of new age apathetic punk. With a Dinosaur thrown in casually, for good measure!

The Elastic Dinosaur EP will be available from all the usual major retailers from the 19^th January 2019.

WORDS BY CRAIG HOPKINSON