EP Review: Japam ‘How’s My EP?’

Adelaide 5-piece hard rock outfit Japam boast their ability to combine influences from heavy, the technical groove of modern djent, and the melodic appeal of 90’s pop and rock. They strive to create an energetic soundscape that’ll infiltrate the ears and move the feet of any music fan, and now they’ve finally release their cheekily titled and highly anticipated EP ‘How’s My EP?’.

‘How’s My EP?’ focuses on a bucket load of riffs and only consists of four tracks, but each track is bursting with Japam’s own unique sound.

Seraph kicks things off with a bang, with a epic bass line that builds up, spoken words coming over the top of muted guitars and the serrated riff loops over the pounding drums until it all launches full throttle. It’s basically melodic and solid rock that has been very well produced to give it a slick and tight sound. Vocalist Ryan Lucivero definitely has the pipes to pull Japam’s ambitious sound off, as the track is refreshing and doesn’t rely on gravelly screaming and hoarse shouting to get the emotion across.

“It’s punchy, clear and full-forced when it needs to be, without suffering from the ever common problem of sounding too overproduced and artificial.”

Next up is anthem and standout track DK Facepunch. The track is just a slab of infectious rock with a straight forward chorus that’s perfect for headbanging. It’s punchy, clear, and full-forced when it needs to be, without suffering from the ever common problem of sounding too overproduced and artificial.

Then there’s Wolf Harass’, which has a crushing riff at the beginning that sits so well and has a real punch! The track features more layered vocals and harmonies that serve to make the melodies standout, but it’s hard not to be distracted by the tasty guitar work firing away in the background.

‘How’s My EP?’ is a curious blend that takes influence from The Butterfly Effect and Karnivool, and some of the more djent-staccato moments have a slightly more Tesseract feel. Japam have clearly managed to incorporate the low tuned heavy guitar and master foot work drumming into this EP.

In Japam’s short career they’ve already garnered themselves props in the underground through airtime on multiple radio stations nationwide, and this EP really proves they’re a band to keep an eye out for. The boys will be hitting the road in a few days for dates in hometown, Adelaide as well as Melbourne and Sydney. Make sure to catch them live!

Japam ‘DK Facepunch’ Tour Dates

SAT 14 MAY
Enigma Bar, Adelaide
SAT 21 MAY
Brunswick Hotel, Melbourne
SAT 28 MAY
Oxford Art Factory, Sydney

Get Tickets HERE