“matricide for the pockets weight, it’s etched in my fucking veins.”
Supporting your local scene is crucial if you want live music to thrive, and no band understands this better than Stoke-on-Trent’s Invasion. Despite being relatively fresh-faced themselves, they’ve already proven they get it, having hopped on plenty of local lineups and members booking shows at local venues. A familiar face to us here at Boolin, their debut EP, Matricide for a Pockets Weight, is something we’ve been eagerly awaiting for some time now. Having seen these tracks live more than a handful of times, playing through many different iterations, they’re finally being released, and hopes are high!
Unless you’ve seen this band play, it’s hard to build any real expectations. At the time of writing, they have but a lonely single to their name, “Power Trip”, which, whilst a fantastic debut single, perhaps doesn’t do them justice. Having seen them live plenty of times now, namely opening the debut Riff Factory show in support of Static Dress, we’ve steadily built up a picture of who this band is, and just what they’re capable of. Matricide for a Pockets Weight looks to realise this potential, and despite its sub-10-minute runtime, it absolutely lands with lasting effect. Luring you in with a false sense of security, the EP’s title track is a nostalgic callback, with twinkling loading-screen-esque synths akin to PlayStation 1 games, having you fooled that perhaps they’re taking things in a completely different direction. This sense of safety is quickly torn away when “YOU WON (nothing changed)” kicks in, though, and the real Invasion is unveiled.
In fact, the entirety of the EP, besides the title track, is pure, unfiltered, DIY HC chaos. Growling vocals fight atop thunderous drum claps and chugging guitar work, with the occasional dissonance thrown in to keep things fresh. For a debut release, it’s extremely well put together and the impact sticks. There’s plenty of charm to this release, and given that the lads are all remarkably young, that’s something all the more impressive. The band’s namesake track, “INVASION”, is perhaps the pinnacle of this release, though, with the lads showcasing everything they’ve become synonymous with live. Two-step sections, chugging, heavy crowd-kill moments, shout-back-at-the-stage spots, and a local vocal feature from Southwalk’s Jack Lee Pitchford evoke the same feeling you get when seeing them perform. Never afraid to try something different, and always trying to big up the local scene, “INVASION” is everything that the band encompasses rolled up into one short and sweet package.
Matricide for a Pockets Weight is an important release for the band and for the local Stoke-on-Trent scene. It’s a small band trying to relight the flame that was once lost in such a fantastic city. With the likes of Smother being on the cusp of breaking through, Invasion are here to prove something different. They’re the new blood, the underdogs, and they’re here to show that anybody can make a band, and that if you have the passion and the drive, then you can go places. They’re not perfect, but they don’t have to be. Invasion has shown more spirit in this EP than many established artists do in their entire careers, and there’s absolutely something to be said for that. Invasion may not be your favourite band off of the back of this EP, but they don’t have to be; they’re doing what they want to do, and they’re supporting their local scene whilst doing it, and that’s what’s really important.
7.5/10
Matricide for a Pockets Weight releases February 6th via independent release. Support your local scene.