Hope of the States - 'Blood Meridian' EP

This limited edition release sees Chichester's Hope of the States continue on the course charted by 2003's debut offering 'The Lost Riots'. Boxes marked 'stirring' and 'climactic' are ticked with ease throughout, unfortunately another constant, insipid vocals, render the tunes little more than a gesture. The title track sees Sam Herlihy run through his Bernard Sumner impersonation whilst an impressive backing track evokes images of the apocalypse - it doesn't really fit. EP-closer Drinkers on the Dry, the majority of which has a simple violin accompaniment, exposes Herlihy's voice as somewhat of an annoyance where there's no grandiose orchestra to catch the ear. It would appear that a lot hinges on this release and the impending album; to that end, as a standalone call to arms for HOTS' guard of loyal followers, it'll do. However, as a rallying cry to non-believers, it's probably not quite good enough. [Jon Seller]