The follow up to their 2008 debut EP Chinese Whispers, Melbourne alt-rockers Brittle’s hungry rock sound only gets bigger and better on follow-up EP The Owls.

With gargantuan sing-along choruses firmly in place, their wild-eyed expressions of youthful ambition are more inviting, and the arrangements more involved this time around, as they shed their semi-hardcore influences for a purer rock sound.

Perhaps the greatest problem within the EP lies in the writing. Lyrically, their sentiments come across as overwhelmingly trite, rehashing worn clichés aplenty on each and every track, with their apathetic view of the voracity of the music industry set to 'gnarly'.  "Weak Spot" matched only in formulaic rigidity by angsty, tweenage-outsider anthem "Teenage Wolf".

Luckily for the quartet, however, their tunes are executed to brutally good musical effect, composed with killer guitar filigrees, heroic emo-tinged chord changes, and sour, acerbic vocals, transforming what could be a very ordinary punk-rock five-track release into something much more impressive. 

Equally exciting is how the band have captured the sound and energy of their dynamic live performances in the recording, which can perhaps be attributed to the influence of legendary producer Mark Opitz who has previously produced landmark albums for artists including INXS, The Divinyls, Cold Chisel and KISS.

Backed by a massive tour of the same name that will see the band travelling nationwide throughout June, July and August, The Owls just might be the record to catapult Brittle to the top of the local punk-rock heap.

Review Score: 7/10