When I first saw this in the review section I was hesitant to review because it features fellow reviewer bryan.batiste. I was hesitant because if it sucked you would have to blast somebody who seems like a nice guy and post here frequently etc. , but I decided to do it anyway. Lucky for me this does not suck.
These Branches are a two piece (Bryan Batiste plays drums and does vocals and Nick Hertzberg does guitar and vocals) from New Jersey. They have a nice mix of post hardcore influences and 90's style hardcore and emo. I might be way off here, but for some reason this band reminds me of Policy of 3. This EP was produced by Kevin Bernsten (Pianos Become The Teeth and Magrudergrind). Track one "Profiteer" Starts off with a nice moody guitar intro before breaking into some off timed 90's hardcore goodness. This song is a good way to open their EP. It also gives you a good feel of what to expect from the rest of "Payoff".
I have to say I was very impressed with this at first listen, but the more I listened to it the more I liked it. It makes me remember the good ole' days of when hardcore wasn't breakdown after breakdown. When there used to be melody in the music. When music wasn't just cookie cutters of the popular bands of the times. I do miss those days. This was a nice breather in what can be a very unoriginal and uninspired music scene at times.
Overall this is an outstanding E.P. Talking to Bryan he said that their newer stuff is heavier, but this was the E.P. that got them to where they are now. I am very curious to see what they come up with next. They have a new split with two songs coming out this fall via Get Into It Records and just finished up their new EP "Beliefs". Probably be out early 2013. Until then I like where they are now.
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