The Head Scratcher's 10 Favourite EPs of 2020

We pick some of the best EPs and mini-albums released in 2020

January 2021

The tsunami of music releases in 2020 wasn’t just limited to full albums, there was also a constant wave of EPs washing over us, including a few from some of The Head Scratcher’s favourite artists - it was hard to keep up. For this list, we’ve picked 10 of our favourite shorter form releases, some of which featured on The Scratch Cast Podcast in 2020 but many of them, we didn’t have a chance to cover and we’ve just been enjoying in the background. So here they are, in no particular order… (UPDATE: you can now listen along with the playlist at the bottom of the page).

Jamie Lenman - King Of Clubs

Leading up to the release of his new mini-album, Jamie Lenman has maintained that “King Of Clubs” is him at his angriest and most political and it’s a theme that’s evident right from the word go.

“Summer of Discontent (The Future is Dead)” is a commentary on the bleak state of the modern world (featuring some savage bars from Illaman of Pengshui), “Sleep Mission” is a nightmarish banger with a discordant main riff (that sounds like something straight out of the Raketkanon playbook) and “Like Me Better” is a grunting slow burner that builds to a thunderous conclusion.

“I Don’t Wanna Be Your Friend” is a rallying cry against dickheads, “The Road To Right” explores the paths we take and choices we make in life and “Kill Me” is possibly Lenman’s most brutal effort since the heavy half of Muscle Memory; the lyrics are disturbing and macabre but somehow the shuffling beat and clicking drums turn it into a bit of an off-kilter boogie. The album closes out with the moody and rousing title track, a powerful, heavily distorted instrumental piece that locks into a solid groove and doesn’t let up.

At just under 25 minutes, “King Of Clubs” is short but sweet, and each and every one of the 7 tracks offers something special for fans both new and old. If you’re not yet familiar with Jamie Lenman’s work and you’re a fan of inventive, angry music that mixes catchy melodies with tooth-rattling riffs then you’re in for a real treat.

Mrs. Piss - Self-Surgery

Formed by Chelsea Wolfe and her resident drummer Jess Gowrie, Mrs. Piss take elements of extreme music, particularly black metal and doom, and fuses them with the sounds of grunge and alternative rock to devastating effect.

The album opens with the short, terrifying soundscape of “To Crawl Inside”, perfectly setting the tone before launching into the crushing riffs of “Downer Surrounded by Uppers” amid a swirl of ethereal vocal howls. “Knelt” is a far more brooding affair with haunting, drawn-out passages and “Nobody Wants to Party With Us” channels the danceable, oscillating electronics of Nine Inch Nails before launching into a thundering stomp surrounded by howling screams and slacker vocals.

M.B.O.T.W.O. is perhaps a little too disjointed compared to the rest of the album but the final three tracks continue to impress. The chorus of “You Took Everything” combines slacker vocal melodies, black metal harpy screams and blast beats to provide one of the record’s most memorable moments, the bass bounce of “Self-Surgery” creates an interesting change of pace amid deathly, windswept howls and the title track’s closing volleys of “yeeaaah, in the shit, sacrosanct, Mrs. Piss” show this is a band not to be fucked with.

Viagra Boys - Common Sense

Viagra Boys made a real impression on us with their debut album Street Worms. The Swedish band showed a knack for delivering raucous, shambolic post-punk songs with surreal lyrics, untamed saxophone and a wicked sense of humour.

The EP opens with the slow-burning track “Common Sense” which sees a more restrained Viagra Boys, or so it would appear, as that familiar saxophone is slowly unleashed as the track unfolds before the absolute banger that is “Lick The Back” is allowed to break free. It’s a far more familiar sound and it sits right up there beside some of the band’s biggest songs like “Slow Learner” or “Frogstrap”.

“Sentinal Island” takes a different turn, having much more in common with the likes of “Just Like You”. It’s far more contemplative but remains interesting due to the humorous lyrics describing a Westerner’s visit to the unwelcoming Island Of The Sentinals in the Bay of Bengal. Closing track “Blue” is a shuffling personal lament which sees the protagonist apologising for his unacceptable behaviour - it’s a fantastic track that sounds like it could have been written by Tom Waits.

For an EP with only 4 songs and a run-time of just under 15 mins, “Common Sense” still succeeds in showing the real diversity of Viagra Boys’ sound.

Zeal & Ardor - Wake Of A Nation

The story of Zeal & Ardor’s formation is a well-trodden affair, but in simple terms, their music mixes ambient electronics with black metal and the sound of the underground railroad.

Originally, many of these songs were set to be released in 2021 as part of a new Z&A album but Manuel Gagneux felt it necessary to release them early following the horrific murder of George Floyd and the resulting black lives matter campaigns that shook the world. There’s no ambiguity here, these songs are straight to the point, railing at a corrupt, unjust and endemically racist society.

“Vigil” is an atmospheric, emotionally affecting opener that tackles police brutality head-on before declaring “we won’t take this quietly”. The extreme side of Zeal & Ardor comes to the fore on “Tuskegee” with shocking screams, crushing riffs and battering ram drum beats before “At The Seams” takes the component parts of the previous tracks and jumps between restrained melancholy and all-out fury.

The shortest track “I Can’t Breath” is one of the most affecting, combing poignant sound bites with the band’s trademark vocal chants and a rhythmic ambient beat reminiscent of Massive Attack’s Teardrop. “Trust No One” is sheer hell-fire mixing death growls with one of the thickest, most satisfying guitar tones you’ll hear and the closing title track is a booming, stomping chant declaring that “the King is dead”.

“Wake Of A Nation” has an essential message and is a powerfully affecting and astonishingly heavy EP, both sonically and in its subject matter.

PUP - This Place Sucks Ass

PUP are one of those bands you just can’t help but fall in love with. Their particular brand of self-deprecating punk rock is as moody and antagonistic as it is joyfully infectious and it’s impossible not to get caught get up in every single moment. “This Place Sucks Ass” sees the band continuing in that vein, the general misery of 2020 further fuelling the fire in their engine room.

Opening track “Rot” is a down-tuned banger, raging along through the verses with gruelling chainsaw riffs before bursting into one of their oh-so-wonderful trademark, hook-laced gang vocal choruses. The crooning lead guitars on “Anaphylaxis” immediately sound more upbeat but the incredible thunder in the drums and drilling of the bass create an air of anxious panic that fits well with the song’s subject matter of a terrifying allergic reaction. There’s also a quite fantastic cover of Grandaddy’s “A.M.180” which adds a much more raucous vibe to the classic song, while “Nothing Changes” is a showcase for the talents of the band, with complex drums, crooning guitars and multiple changes in pace and direction before ending on a truly glorious final minute.

“Floodgates” continues with the darker sound that started on “Rot” and the erratic drum attacks and bursts of guitar squall throughout are intensely gratifying, especially the demented guitar solo near the end. “This Place Sucks Ass” closes out with the absolutely crushing “Edmonton”. Everything about this song just goes, right from the off, and then, after about a minute, it just ends on this guitar lick that leaves you hanging, hungry for more.

PUP are one of the best bands around and this EP is up there with the quality of everything else they’ve released so far.

Carcass - Despicable

Carcass are an extreme metal band who’ve been going since 1986, and yet, nothing about this EP sounds outdated. There is an old-school edge which comes forward via a wonderful heavy metal gallop to the guitars and tone to the solos that’s entwined with gruff vocals and an overall layer of grit and grime.

“The Living Dead at the Manchester Morgue” shows off the heavy metal tandem solos right from the start before launching into a menacing gallop combined with evil vocals and stabbing guitars. “The Long and Winding Bier Road” opens with a wonderful swaggering guitar riff that sounds far too jaunty for such a band but it really works and is a real highlight every time it comes back around.

“Under The Scalpel Blade” has a real down and dirty groove to the riffing and sounds positively evil and the short bursts of melodic guitar that come in every so often are a perfect counterpoint to the brutality. The final track, “Slaughtered in Soho” has another, almost upbeat duelling guitar lick that quickly descends into something far more hellish but again, it’s these moments of clarity amongst the dirge that end up being the most memorable.

“Despicable” is a really impressive EP from a veteran band and much like Anaal Nathrakh, Carcass continue to find ways to remain current and relevant in a continuously progressive genre. Notably, these tracks are off-cuts from an album that’s due to be released this year and based on the quality here, that’s an exciting prospect indeed.

DITZ - 5 Songs

DITZ’s “5 Songs” EP might not win any awards for its imaginative title but it’s a solid collection of punk songs from an excellent band.

The EP opens with the brilliant “Seeking Arrangement” its restrained intro giving way to an absolute banger of a chorus and the chant of “you take me for granted, I don’t want a special friend, I just want to be romanced” is a proper earworm. It’s followed up by the grunting bass and shrieking guitars of “Gayboy”, an angry rebuke at “the price of being” gay.

The following two tracks “Total 90” and “Role Model” are the heaviest songs on the EP and the former’s build from the 1 min 45 mark up to the hellish scream of “YOUR EYES ARE DEAD” is a huge moment, although the latter still manages to trump it for pure aggression and intensity throughout. Closing the EP on a cover of Peaches’ “Fuck The Pain Away” is a nice touch and whilst it’s not quite as good as the original, it still packs a punch with a punishing whirlwind of distorted guitars and feedback between the verses.

“5 Songs” is a strong second EP from a band who, on the strength of these songs, deserve to be reaching a far wider audience.

Easy Life - Junk Food

For an album full of such bright and breezy beats and rhythms, January seemed a strange time for Easy Life to release their jazz and funk-infused Junk Food EP. But perhaps this is exactly the kind of laid back hip-hop required to lift the mood on those long cold nights. That said, these songs really do come into their own when the sun is shining.

“7 Magpies” opens almost like a child’s dream, with strange distorted vocals and samples that give way to a silky slacker vocal flow, driving drums and a solid bass thump which leads perfectly into the magnificent “Nice Guys”, a song that’s all funky bass grooves, blipping electronics and trumpeting brass. On “Sangria” the band are joined by Arlo Parks with the singer-songwriter providing her soulful vocals over a deliriously slick bass bounce throughout the song while “LS6” is a more stripped back, introspective affair with its aching piano and floaty vocal performance providing a welcome change of pace.

“Dead Celebrities” and “Earth” are both in for a shout for the best track on here. The chorus on “Dead Celebrities” is basically flawless, the bass, the vocals and the dreamy guitars all combining for a breezy, laid back singalong and in a stroke of genius “Earth” uses a sample of that kid on youtube who can’t get his words out. Try wiping the smile off your face once you notice that. The EP closes out with “Spiders” which is practically an acoustic ballad but it’s elevated above most efforts by the dreamy vocal harmonies that take centre stage.

“Junk Food” is an exceptionally good EP and the perfect soundtrack for your summer evenings.

Salem - “Salem”

With Creeper’s significant change in direction on Sex, Death & The Infinite Void leaving some fans missing their earlier punk rock sound, the new EP from Will Gould’s side project, Salem, should go some way to filling that hole.

“Fall Out Of Love” jumps straight back to those morose punk rock roots, taking heavy cues from early Alkaline Trio, delivering bucket loads of vocal hooks amid driving riffs far more successfully than Matt Skiba’s iconic band has managed in years. “Destroy Me” continues in that vein, storming out of the gates with pulsating guitars and stomping drums but it’s Gould’s talent for a massive soaring chorus that really shines through.

“Throat” is a proper pop-punk anthem the likes of which hasn’t been heard in years and you’ll be singing “so wrap your hands around my throat, and hurt me like you love me” for days on end. The hooks don’t end there, though, and they just keep coming through the verses and choruses on “Eyesore” - the latter, in particular, is to die for. Closing track “Doomed (for each other)” once again channels AK3, putting their own 2020 EP to shame, and never lets up.

If you miss old Creeper or just long for the halcyon days of gothic punk rock, Alkaline Trio in particular, Salem’s EP should be right up your street.

Pig Destroyer - The Octagonal Stairway

In recent years there’s been a bit of a trend of extreme metal bands developing their sound and becoming more “accessible”. In 2018 we saw it happen with Anaal Nathrakh on “A New Kind Of Horror” (this year’s Endarkenment went a step further), Behemoth on “I Loved You At Your Darkest” and Pig Destroyer on “Head Cage”.

From the opening salvo of “The Octagonal Stairway” you might be inclined to disagree. Its first minute is as brutal and punishing as they come, with skull-crushing drum beats, indecipherable vocals and horrifying electronic whines but when that first minute ends and that groovy thrashy riff hits, it morphs into a catchy apocalyptic jam. “The Cavalry” practically lifts the riff from Slayer’s “Raining Blood”, masterfully incorporating it into the hellish wall of noise before discarding it and delivering riffs upon riffs upon riffs amid intense thrash grooves. “Cameraman” implements more electronics alongside the riffs but typically favours the more extreme chaos of the EP’s opening minute for most of its runtime.

It’s at this point that the EP takes a left turn with “News Channel 6” a mixture of distorted news samples, heavy static and thumping drums. It only lasts 45 seconds but leaves a distinct impression and leads perfectly into “Head Cage”, a slow-burning, cinematic mood piece that could have been lifted straight out of a horror soundtrack. Closing track “Sound Walker” takes this idea and runs with it… for 11 minutes. That’s 11 minutes of drum loops, tense electronics, echoing vocal samples and disturbing bursts of violent static.

If you want something that will scare the bejeesus out of you whilst providing dense layers of sound to sink your teeth into and offering plenty of riffs to bang your head to then “The Octagonal Stairway” is a perfect place to start.

Let us know YOUR favourite EPs and mini-albums of 2020 in the comments.

Peace.