A REVIEW OF 'Little Miss London EP' BY THE BULLETPROOF BOMB - 11/03/2016



THE BULLETPROOF BOMB
from left to right - Robbie, Tom, George, Mike and Joel.



THE BULLETPROOF BOMB are at it again, just a couple of weeks ago they finished their 'Drop the Bomb' UK tour. We luckily got the chance of attending the Sheffield date at the intimate The Rocking Chair.

So after a well deserved rest following the 10 date tour they have hit back with the release of their new EP which includes their latest single 'Little Miss London' which gives this new release its name.

This now punky, scarry sounding five piece consists of Joel Douglas (vocals/guitar), Mike Hendry (guitar), Tom Butler (bass), Robbie Cottom (keyboard/backing vocals) and George Thompson (drums).

Since the writing and releasing of old songs such as Suitcase and Spaceman, the band have grown up a lot and this is shown directly through the new EP due to how much it does differ to other songs by them.

Although I would say some themes which run through the old music are still present in the new music and more exaggerated in some cases.

I think mostly, it is the style of the music that has changed. There is a shift in genres. The old songs were quite poppy with a hint of indie within.

With Little Miss London it all seems much more serious whereas older songs sounded much more light-hearted.

 There is a total of five tracks on this EP; Little Miss London, 1-10, Siege, L.I.S.F.B and Vapid. Three of which have been released prior to this is single form - Little Miss London, 1-10 and Siege.

The boys.



Little Miss London portrays a strong ('a lioness') girl who can be quite persuasive and tends to get what she wants. She knows how to get what she wants and will do anything to get it no matter what the cost. This song seems to be in the perspective of a close friend, but not of the girl - of the person who she is trying to wrap around her finger. It seems to be a kind of warning as this friend seems to be blinded in a kind of halo effect trance. It makes me feel like this is taking place on a night out because 'you might as well have stayed at home' and 'you might as well just head off home' are said throughout showing that perhaps this friend is annoyed due to the friend spending all the time with someone else on their night out and really its like they are not there at all. The majority of fans of The Bulletproof Bomb are in their teens and earlier 20's and this makes it more than likely that they have or do experience this on nights out with their friends due to the boys in the band being the same age, which makes aspects of this song relatable.

  

1-10. This song in my opinion is one which is one of the two that are transition songs between old and new, the other being Siege. With a certain amount of the original Bulletproof poppy sound in the song it is quite lively and it doesn't seem quite as serious as the other songs on here but when you listen to the lyrics you release that it is. This and Siege allow there to be a mix up within the EP as they make you want to move about. The song itself seems to be about stuck in the same routine day after day and not being able to get out of it. The line 'better tell her that you love her before she leaves you' to me shows that the partner of the person is getting quite bored of not doing anything different and not experiencing anything different. Especially as teenagers, you do not wish to be stuck doing the same thing every single day or having the same weekly routine however this is usually what happens. This makes this song another which for people like me (a 19 year old) relatable.

Siege is another track which makes you want to move around but still contains that seriousness. The very start is so catchy and the playful tune runs throughout the whole song. I like that there are quite a few instrumental breaks as it shows of the bands musical ability. The repeated tune builds up towards the end and then the song picks up to its finale. From hearing the lyrics I can pick up that premise of the song is going out round town or to clubs underage - lyrics such as 'catch me if you can, on your runaway scam' come to mind that the plan to get in with fake ID's hasn't worked as planned. - Meg x

The next song is Vapid, out of all the new songs this one is my favourite. It is different from all the others which have come from The Bulletproof Bomb, it is slower and although I enjoyed the lively nature of old songs and the slight liveliness but new found punkiness of the new songs, this one is the one which shows a different change and I like the new sound they have gone for a lot. Usually, when I hear the word 'vapid' being used about a person, it is to call them stupid, however with the context of this song I do not believe this is the case. Due to the lyric 'vapidus fusion between a boy and girl' it appears that this song is about no longer having a connection with someone you did once and the relationship that was has spoiled and fell flat. It shows that not all things as you go up work out. Also, it talks of being near to where you want to be with those you want to be with or at least that's what the talk of the town tells you, this reminds me society, in this way society is 'the talk of the town' and society tells you where you should be and if you are close to where you should be.

L.I.S.F.B standing for Life Is So F**cking Boring is a short and sweet track. It is lively but not in a poppy way, it sticks more to the punky sound that the band have achieved. I personally think it's quite different and original to the other songs. The tune the instruments are played out are deeper and bigger complexity.The song is very to the point and quite intense, a song that some people would relate to but some would just listen to. The story of this song is self explanatory in the title - a sense of being bored in their hometown and their life growing up - a life that is boring and any excitement is so far away, the constant reminder of running away and getting out s repeated throughout the song. This song I would say is my favourite, because even though I don't relate to it personally, the tune, and the way it's being played is right up my street. - Meg x  

 The boys will be performing at Live at Leeds on Saturday 30th April.

Written by Sophie.