REVIEW: Pacifist - five

Coming out of India's most populous city Mumbai comes the post-hardcore quintet PACIFIST. Proudly having no music on Spotify as a stand against AI music and Spotify's profits going to warfare, the act are no strangers to political messages and it shows within their music. With one previous EP, Greyscale Dreams, available online, as well as two previously released singles, five will mark a leap further for this exciting act as they make their way towards playing Lollapalooza India, before embarking on a release tour.

Opening track and lead single Running Out is a fantastic opener, setting the stage from the off with clear sonic reference to late 90's post-hardcore outfits like REFUSED and AT THE DRIVE-IN. Discussing the all-too unsettlingly likely chance of a global doomsday, vocalist SIDHARTH gets himself nicely warmed up ahead of the rest of the release here, whilst APURV and ASHISH rip out distorted riffs underneath, with a slight hint of earlier brands of emo echoing within the heaviness.

Ad Nauseam carries on the same post-hardcore sound but with a little less emo and a little more funk, in a similar vein to the almighty TURNSTILE on such tracks as BLACKOUT - a bold comparison certainly, yet the earworm drum lines and pacey hi-hat runs from VARUN stick long after the track exhausts its three minute run time. UTKARSH's bass holds the fort down here as the guitars play against each other to use slight measures of dischordance to their advantage.

Third in the running order is Skunk Leather, which ups the tempo slightly whilst reflecting on change in a brief but impactful two minutes, before Built To Destroy absolutely tears the whole EP apart. Addressing humankind's innate violence, the track flatters to deceive with a cooled off intro, before building up into one hefty jolt of power and then a gnarly breakdown that is nigh guaranteed to bring a smile to your face.

Purge, Atone wraps up the short but oh so very sweet affair that is five, taking its lead from the previous track with plenty of energy and razor-edged riffs that precede an eerie, unsettling instrumental, closing out the release with just enough time to stew on what's come before.

PACIFIST don't just show promise and potential in spades here - they show technical ability, musicianship, and a great understanding of how to write great music. The EP sounds excellent which is in no small part down to the fact that it was entirely self-produced by APURV, with mastering done by BRAD BOATRIGHT at Audiosiege. Showcasing their devotion to hardcore and its morals on a political record that could have been put out by a giant of the genre, they had better keep putting out music like this.

Score: 9/10

Words: Jasmine Longhurst

Photos: Pacifist