Winnipeg angular, alternative four piece bland release debut EP ‘consumables’
- Richard Blowes
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
Hailing from Winnipeg, Canada bland demonstrate a firm grasp of melody, attitude and nervy punk energy on their debut EP consumables
EP: consumables
Band: bland
Released: September 19 2025
It's a punchy move to name your band bland - there are a diminishing number of people on our planet who understand irony. The Winnipeg four piece of that name fly in the face of their titular epithet with a cracking five track debut EP consumables which fizzes with inventiveness and energy.
Here in Ireland we are experiencing a golden age of literate, consciousness raising guitar bands who are pushing at the boundaries of the sounds they can produce. But let's not get too smug - they're doing it in Winnipeg too.
The EP opens with lead single panacea which will sound familiar to any fans of Silverbacks. Jaunty, off kilter and with a great mid song breakdown, it starts with the declaration that "there's a silver bullet there's a holy grail'. The impressive wordplay then goes on to list out items which might be considered such a thing, when really we all know that they are not.
tough love opens in the declamatory style of Joe Talbot over a suitably garage-style thrash. About a third of the way through it sounds as if vocalist Ike Hedenstierna has had enough but after a brief pause the track takes off again like The Strokes boosted by Viagra Boys and finishes with an excellently unhinged guitar solo. Also to be lauded for use of the word asinine.
... the music reflects the zeitgeist at the quarter point of the 21st century - restless, nervy, trying to make sense of an uncertain world yet maintaining a human, analogue energy and melodic approach to an agreeably chaotic noise.
There's a coherent feel to the EP and Hedenstierna notes: “These songs came from all over the place, but recording them together gave them a shape. We finally took the leap. Now we’re writing music that sounds like us, whatever that ends up being.” Whatever post punk is, one thing is certain. It was birthed and nurtured by people doing what they wanted and not caring about what other people thought. No formulas, no algorithms.
con man is the mid point of the EP and this reviewer's favourite. It opens with an unsettling backing over which a sprechgesang story of nefarious deeds unfolds. You feel that here must be some resolution coming and sure enough the band deliver mightily with a sweet fuzzy chorus as they chant "I've been conned". Lovely touches of Nick Cave, The Modern Lovers even The Fall here.
consumables sounds like the band trying to make sense of the quotidian annoyances which make up life for most people - and also the ways in which they try to cope with them. The music reflects the zeitgeist at the quarter point of the 21st century - restless, nervy, trying to make sense of an uncertain world yet maintaining a human, analogue energy and melodic approach to an agreeably chaotic noise.
Perhaps reflecting Blur's Modern Life Is Rubbish, current affairs starts off with a Graham Coxon style riff before morphing into a band singalong which suggests bland might have been listening to one of the most UK's most criminally underrated band The Cribs. The backing vocals throughout the EP are consistently excellent and elevate the tracks to a level one might not expect on a debut release.
Album/EP closers often point to what's coming next. Whether that is the case with is it enough remains to be seen. Brimming with a claustrophobic punk attitude and energy it certainly wouldn't be a bad launch pad for their next release. A fine end to an impressive debut EP.
bland EP release show
Saturday, October 4, 2025.
The Handsome Daughter. Winnipeg
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