This is a review of "Day One EP" recorded by Eden Junction. The review was written by Paul Smerdyakov in 2013.

Eden Junction's website states boldly "Miss people playing their own instruments and making human, raw, rocking, music? Miss it no more." Putting aside for a second the fact that there are literally thousands of bands doing exactly this in Leeds alone, this EP will make you miss raw, rocking music more than you did before.

Look, I don't know whether the members of Eden Junction have been in bands before, I don't know how experienced they are or whether they're really nice guys. But if you're going to put your music out and ask strangers to buy it, you have to take the criticism. I've been handed their CD to review and sadly, from top to bottom, it's terrible. The production is well, non-existent. It sounds like it's been recorded by accident, from under a mattress. There are glitches in the sound and the players go out of time with each other on several occasions.

None of this would really matter of course if these were really great songs, I'd just be writing "ace songs, need to record some clearer demos". But the songs are so derivative and pumped to the eyeballs with cliché they sort of sound like they're parodying the kind of bands who claim to be the messiahs for rock music. If so, if this is one big parody, then I will hold my hands up and say it's brilliant. If it's serious, then I recommend that Eden Junction start practicing more, writing more, listening to more music but most of all I recommend that they give themselves enough respect to never, ever put something this half-arsed out and ask people to pay for it again.

The chorus of "On a Mountain" is, and I quote, 'kermaw-hawn//kermaw-hawn". It's Liam Gallagher fed into Microsoft Sam and then out of Shaun Ryder. Second track "In a Dream" is a floaty song of rhyming couplets, starting 'I believe in every second chance a life can take//I believe in every second step I can make', in which case why can't I hear any belief? Even the singer sounds bored by his own song, which is fair enough really.

There's a clear glitch/cut/gap between the soft start and the Coldplay-style second bit that I had to pause and rewind just to make sure I heard, but it's definitely there. "Every night I would like to see you in a dream" is the chorus, this song is pretty much the soundtrack to my nightmares. "Rose Petal Glasses" explains why they list Feeder in their influences, it sounds very, very familiar. It's also, probably due to the near-plagiarism and simple idea-nicking, the best song on the EP. 'Day One' ends with "Save My Soul" and I can only echo those sentiments.

Eden Junction need to go as individuals and think about whether they're actually having fun, if so then just do everything you're doing 10x more than you currently do it. Listen. Write. Practice. If not, there is no reason to be in this band.