While most bands would start out with a studio album, CPR first came at us with their brand of raucous punk rock in the form of a live album, so now with their second release, they’ve headed into the studio and recorded seven new songs.
In terms of releases, CPR is relatively new with the Live at Fuzion coming out in 2015 and now In the Business. The southern California band is relatively quiet on the information front, but this is a father/son project, which has to be uncommon in music and especially in punk rock. The previous live album showed the potential of the band and In the Business is a great follow up, showing the band’s sound maturing and getting stronger.
As was apparent on the live album, the band is very upfront with their faith and the songs reflect Christian beliefs set to a backdrop of raw southern California punk rock. Production on the album is a very good mix of clean but rough and the job done on the mixing lets all instruments and vocals come through clearly.
Fast, guitar riffs and rapid-fire drumming characterize the overall sound of CPR and “Die” kicks off the album showcasing the band’s penchant for putting together a catchy punk rock song. The cadence in the vocal delivery of the verses really makes this song stand out. “Skull Blaster” continues in a similar vein but the verse sections have a bit more of a slower groove feel to them and the song features one of several guitar solos on the album and a cool breakdown section to add some variety.
The title track is really driven largely by the relentless drumming of David Hill and also features a couple more guitar solos and some sections where you can clearly hear the bass work of Jacob Hill as well. The song itself veers more to a Motorhead/GBH sound and tone and still meshes well with the rest of the ep. Drums at the beginning of “Straight” remind me a bit of early Motley Crue, which is something I mentioned on their live album as well, so it makes me wonder if something is there.
To my ears, there are a couple different levels of songs on the ep. Songs like “Die”, “Skull Blaster”, and “In the Business”, seemed to really stand out above the others as being more complete and more punk rock. “CPR” and “Spirit” are still good, listenable songs, but almost seem more of dirty rock and roll in style and the faster parts of “Straight” and “Dazzle” seemed a bit forced or out of place, but that’s just this reviewer’s opinion. None of this is really negative, so keep that in mind and go take a listen as there is a lot here to like.
Rating: 7.5/10
Written by John Jackson
Tracklist:
1. Die
2. Skull Blaster
3. In the Business
4. CPR
5. Straight
6. Dazzle
7. Spirit
Band Members:
David Hill – Drums
Jacob Hill – Bass, vocals
Greg (Jet Wilson) – Guitar, vocals
Jimmy McFinn – Guitar, vocals
Albums:
“Live at Fuzion” (2015)
Record Label: ThumperPunk/SkyBurnsBlack/Raven Faith Records, 2016
Weblinks: Bandcamp / Facebook / Website