Bretton is the first EP by British rock band Lower Than Atlantis, released in 2008.

Bretton
EP by
Released18 October 2008
Recorded2008, The Pill Studios, Newport
GenreHardcore punk
Length19:44
LabelSmall Town
ProducerMatt Tuck
Lower Than Atlantis chronology
Demo 2007
(2007)
Bretton
(2008)
Far Q
(2010)

Background and production

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Lower Than Atlantis formed in August 2007 in Watford,[1] while the members were attending college.[2] Guitarist Ben Sansom asked guitarist Mike Duce if he wished to form a band with Ben's brother Luke, who would provide vocals.[3] Alongside them was bassist Richard Wilkinson and drummer Matt Britz.[4] In April 2008, the group signed to Small Town Records, with whom they were aiming to release their forthcoming EP through.[5] Following line-up changes,[3] such as the addition of drummer Joshua Pickett, bassist Stephen Minter,[6] and Duce becoming the band's frontman,[7] they began working on what would become their first EP, Bretton.[3]

All of the songs on Bretton were written by Lower Than Atlantis, with lyrics by Duce and Luke Sansom.[6] Duce taught himself how to sing and play guitar at the same time while playing along to the band's Demo 2007 release.[8] Pickett had been playing the drums for eight years, naming Abe Cunningham from Deftones as a main inspiration.[1] However, Matt Britz had written and recorded the drum parts for Bretton.[6] Jeff and Ginge recorded the EP at The Pill Studios in Newport.[6] Matt Tuck produced the entire proceedings.[6] Tom Woodstock mastered the EP at The Roof Studios.[6]

Release and reception

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Bretton was released on 18 October 2008 through Small Town Records,[9] before being released through Thirty Days of Night on 19 December 2008.[10] The artwork was done by Liam Flaherty Design.[6] A music video was filmed for "The Juggernaut", it was directed by Daniel Seecharan.[11] It was shot on a low budget.[12] The band spent a lot of 2009 supporting the EP.[1] Partway through the touring cycle for the EP, the band had several line-up changes, eventually leaving them with only vocalist/guitarist Mike Duce and guitarist Ben Sansom.[13]

Big Cheese magazine called the band "pissed off [and] energetic" while they "channel[ed] the dirty chugging riffs of Southern rock".[14] They claimed that "Rock 'n roll-infused post-hardcore just got some new superheroes."[14] Reviewing for Rhythm, Chris Barnes called the EP "a monster of technical music" with "low-slung grooves, odd time and intense riffs."[1] In a retrospective review, Ben Patashnik of Rock Sound described the EP's sound as "youthful, jagged hardcore", bearing "little resemblance" to the band's later material.[8] Concluding with the band's "wit shone through the short, sharp blasts of noise."[8]

Track listing

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All songs written by Lower Than Atlantis. All lyrics written by Mike Duce and Luke Sansom.[6]

  1. "March of the LTA" – 0:58
  2. "Frankie Goes to Hemel" – 2:56
  3. "The Juggernaut" – 3:14
  4. "Sleeping in the Bath" – 3:11
  5. "Bretton" – 2:40
  6. "I Hate Comic Sans" – 0:24
  7. "What a Beautiful Day to Impersonate an Officer" – 2:56
  8. "Vampires Suck, Blood" – 3:25

Personnel

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Personnel per booklet.[6]

References

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Citations
  1. ^ a b c d Rhythm 2009
  2. ^ Mursong 2009, p. 12
  3. ^ a b c Patashnik 2013, p. 60
  4. ^ "Yourspace Lower Than Atlantis". Hemel Gazette. 26 October 2007. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
  5. ^ "Yourspace Lower Than Atlantis". Hemel Gazette. 3 April 2008. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i Bretton (Booklet). Lower Than Atlantis. Thirty Days of Night. 2008. TDON029.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  7. ^ Patashnik 2013, p. 61
  8. ^ a b c Patashnik 2013, p. 62
  9. ^ "BRETTON 2008". PureVolume. Archived from the original on 27 May 2024. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
  10. ^ "iTunes - Music - Bretton by Lower Than Atlantis". itunes.com. Archived from the original on 22 December 2012. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
  11. ^ Untitled. Vimeo. 15 March 2009. Archived from the original on 8 July 2015. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  12. ^ "Lower Than Atlantis music video [Archive] - DVXuser.com -- The online community for filmmaking". dvxuser.com. Archived from the original on 7 July 2015. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  13. ^ "Lower Than Atlantis" (PDF). redfield-records.de. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 May 2015. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
  14. ^ a b Sharples ed., 2009, p. 30
Sources
  • Barnes, Chris (May 2009). "Lower Than Atlantis". Rhythm. Future plc.
  • Mursong, Kate (10 January 2009). "Introducing: Lower Than Atlantis". Kerrang! (1243). London: Bauer Media Group. ISSN 0262-6624.
  • Patashnik, Ben (March 2013). Patashnik, Ben (ed.). "Us Against the World". Rock Sound (171). London: Freeway Press Inc. ISSN 1465-0185.
  • Sharples, Jim, ed. (February 2009). "Lower Than Atlantis". Big Cheese (108). Big Cheese Publishing Ltd. ISSN 1365-358X.