Bishops Green - Back To Our Roots

Rebellion Records (CD, Part 1 on 7”) / Randale Records (Part 2 on 7”)

 

The Vancouver lads are back! After their chance to change, Bishops Green are returning to their roots with brand new material for both Rebellion Records and Randale Records. Evenly divided over two 7”-singles, as part one and two in their “Back To Our Roots” series, all songs are also collected on one mini-CD, for a total of six Bishops’ evergreens!

 

With that being said, you can take the title, “Back To Our Roots”, very seriously! Not just because the band re-recorded fan-favorite “Burn The Bastards”, originally recorded and released by The Lancasters in 2003, for this release. But also because the band literally goes back to their ‘original’ sound of 2013, the year when their self-titled mini-LP shook up the scene, took everyone by surprise and destroyed the underground charts with pressing after pressing after pressing! I’m sure you remember...

 

If two 7-inches, or a mini-CD, can have the same impact as one 12” record has yet to be seen though, simply because format matters, but the music definitely smashes things up! Besides the aforementioned re-recording, expect more sharp, hard hitting and tuneful anthems in the form of the brand new “Wake Up”, “Trouble” and “Do Anything You Wanna Do”, each containing the directness, power and energy that was presented first and foremost on their self-titled debut.

 

Sometimes it takes a band years, or even decades, to go back to their roots. But since everything is moving so fast for Bishops Green, it only took them about three years to return to that fresh and powerful sound of their debut. I absolutely have nothing against “Pressure” or “A Chance To Change”, love those records to bits as well, but over time 2013’s debut has proven to be that one Bishops Green record I still listen to the most, a record that now has to face some extremely tough competition in the form of “Back To Our Roots”!

 

Unmentioned in the review is the acoustic cover version of “Burn The Bastards” by an unknown singer-songwriter. The CD version also features “Christmas In New York” as a bonus and originally appeared on the fifth edition of Black Hole Records’ “Cashing In On Christmas” compilation.