Here’s the thing about sophomore releases: most of the time, they’re either a desperate attempt to copy what worked the first time or a wild overcorrection that makes you wonder if the band resents you for liking their debut. Loser Demon’s EP2 does neither. Instead, it feels like a band realizing they can actually stretch, flex, and throw a few wild punches without losing their footing. It’s scrappy, ambitious, and most importantly: it sounds like they’re enjoying the fight.
Production-wise, EP2 is a major step up. The debut hinted at ideas; this one builds them out properly, layering grit and color without sanding off the rough edges. It’s power-pop smashed against post-punk walls, stitched with hints of classic bombast that make you go, “Oh right, this could actually fill a room instead of just a bedroom.” And the best part? The personality hasn’t been sacrificed in the process.
Take opener “Holding Ground.” Imagine if Sturgill Simpson’s cosmic outlaw vibes got hijacked by Foxy Shazam’s carnival-rock bravado. That’s the energy here. The chorus doesn’t just “pop”; it practically kicks down the door in sequined boots. As an opener, it’s audacious in all the right ways: not subtle, not apologetic, and absolutely not background music.
Then there’s “Two Times,” the closest thing here to a sugar-coated pop single. It’s got the sleek immediacy of Neon Trees’ Habits-era bangers, but with a grit that makes it feel less like radio pandering and more like someone smuggling candy into a mosh pit. The hook is ridiculous in the best way; sticky enough to be irritating if it weren’t so fun to shout along with.
“Reliance” takes a darker turn, leaning into heavier guitars and urgent percussion that feel like they’ve been pulled from an alternate timeline where Enter Shikari decided to play it straight for once. The tension is baked into the song’s DNA: lyrics about self-preservation clashing with instrumentals that sound like they’re threatening to spin out at any second. It’s the EP’s most visceral track, proof that Loser Demon aren’t afraid to dip their hands into sharper, louder territory.
Closer “Living in the Margins” is where the band’s ambition really shows. This is their “let’s be cinematic” moment, channeling that Heroes-era Bowie melancholia but dragging it through the neon haze of something like The 1975’s About You. It’s a track that lingers, less about catharsis and more about haunting. As a closer, it doesn’t send you off with fireworks; it leaves you standing in the aftermath, humming, wondering if you should hit replay or just sit in silence for a while.
What makes EP2 work is that it understands contradiction as a feature, not a flaw. It’s loud but thoughtful, polished but scrappy, referential but not derivative. You can hear the lineage, from the glam eccentricities, the power-pop gloss, the post-punk twitch; yet it never collapses into pastiche. Instead, Loser Demon grab those threads, knot them into something messy, and wear it proudly like a frayed jacket.
And yes, it’s messy. Sometimes choruses threaten to spill out of their frames; sometimes the production flirts with chaos. But that’s the point. Loser Demon aren’t trying to hand you a neat, sterile listening experience. They’re showing you the sparks as they hammer their sound into shape. If the first EP was a promising sketch, EP2 is the messy, colorful mural painted over it. It doesn’t pretend to have all the answers, but it has the confidence to ask better questions and the volume to make sure you hear them.
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About the Author
A tenured media critic known working as a ghost writer, freelance critic for various publications around the world, the former lead writer of review blogspace Atop The Treehouse and content creator for Manila Bulletin.
